What is the Global Health and Care Workers Compact and how does it protect women who work caring for others?

25 Apr 2024

Health and care workers deserve work conditions that ensure their safety and dignity and support their gender-specific needs. The Global Health and Care Workers Compact outlines recommendations to protect health and care worker rights, promote decent work, and ensure non-discriminatory practices. Drawing from various international conventions, treaties, and declarations, including those from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Health and Care Workers Compact is structured around four key domains: preventing harm, providing support, promoting inclusivity, and safeguarding rights. The key focus of preventing harm specifically addresses the unique challenges faced by women healthcare workers. This includes implementing measures to protect pregnant or nursing workers and individuals with vulnerabilities through appropriate infection prevention and control policies. Additionally, the compact emphasizes the importance of educating employers of domestic workers with care duties to ensure a healthy and safe work environment. The pandemic showed that equitable access to personal protective equipment (PPE), vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics during public health emergencies is just the beginning. But it is not enough. The #Fem4PeoplesVaccine campaign calls for prioritizing the intersectional needs of women working in both the formal and informal healthcare sectors. Caring for carers and ensuring their safety and dignity are imperative for a fair and equitable pandemic recovery. 🚨 Swipe left ⬅️ to read more. Read more about the Global Health and Care Workers Compact here https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240073852