Laura Maria Rojas (NYU Gallatin) | Oxfam-Mexico| Mexico City, Mexico
I arrived in Mexico on June 22. The weather has been especially warm lately, which is not normal for this time of year in Mexico City. Days have passed quickly, and I have mostly been doing desk work, as I had anticipated before coming here.
Care, the topic I’m working on, is unique in both the human rights and public policy fields. Although it is not new and has been studied for decades by feminists, its relevance and usage in Latin America are very recent. Many dilemmas and questions regarding the distribution of care work remain unresolved.
Is care a human right? If it is, then what should the state do? Is it a pillar of the welfare state or part of the social security system? Does it have a gender focus or not necessarily? What exactly is a care system, and who should be its beneficiaries?
These debates are crucial, as their definitions directly shape the expectations and demands placed on states (and society in general) by feminist civil society groups and organizations like Oxfam-Mexico.
Of course, I am not going to answer these questions here, but I would like to share some of the things I have learned and done during my work in Mexico.
Several forums and debates are taking place across Latin America. I have been exposed to different experiences, concepts, discussions, and attempts to reach agreements for a shared future vision of a society with care at its center. This context implies a continuous actualization and rethinking of what public interventions demand from local and federal governments. Much of my work has involved supporting these exercises: checking communication campaigns to promote the distribution of unpaid care work, seeking to understand the national and international context, and preparing documents to create strategies for political advocacy. All of this is happening during a crucial moment as the upcoming presidential campaign in 2024 approaches.
In short, I have learned that collective work at different levels (regional, national, local, and community), strategic future-oriented thinking, and robust theoretical justifications are all fundamental elements when placing a topic on the human rights agenda – in the Mexico case, to ensure that care is recognized as a right at the federal level and to secure the establishment of a national care system.
I will continue to share my insights and challenges! ¡Gracias por leer!
Laura Maria Rojas