Women at Work, Rights at Risk-Toward the Empowerment of Working Women

Abstract

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) tells us that we live in a world where the concept of human rights, including labor rights, is widely accepted. We live in a world where governments are sensitive to international opinion. But we also live in a world where worker rights violations are more widespread than ever before. The rights of working women must be assessed in this context. The proportion of women in the global workforce continues to increase. Further, the global community has begun to recognize as work categories of traditional women's activity that have not previously been included in definitions of productive enterprise. It is essential, to achieve economic efficiency and to improve the social well-being of all workers and their families, for government policies and labor practices around the world to place greater emphasis on responding to the needs, pursuits, and rights of women. The Lowenstein Symposium entitled "Women at Work, Rights at Risk: Toward the Empowerment of Working Women" addressed these issues.