SINACTRAHO (; the National Union of Domestic Workers) is a Mexican labor organization founded in 2015 with the goal of protecting the rights of

domestic worker A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

s. The organization is affiliated with the Unión Nacional de Trabajadores de México and is part of the

International Domestic Workers Federation The International Domestic Workers Federation is the first membership-based global organization of household and domestic workers. The IDWF has 81 affiliates in 63 countries, representing over 590,000 members. History In 2006, the First Do ...

Founding and objectives

The SINACTRAHO constitutive assembly met in August 2015, with the participation of domestic workers of all genders from the states of

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

, Colima,

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...

, the

State of Mexico The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is ...

, and Mexico City. It is the first legally established union in Mexico that focuses its activities on domestic work. Its aims include defending labor rights, opposing discrimination, eradicating

workplace violence Workplace violence (WPV), violence in the workplace (VIW), or occupational violence refers to violence, usually in the form of physical abuse or threat, that creates a risk to the health and safety of an employee or multiple employees. The Nationa ...

and gender-based violence, and increasing the economic and social value of domestic work in Mexico. SINACTRAHO is affiliated with the Unión Nacional de Trabajadores de México, one of the largest labor federations in the country, and is a founding member organization of the International Domestic Workers Federation. Among its founders is the Mexican social activist Marcelina Bautista, a domestic worker since she was 14 years old. The organization was created in close collaboration with the Centro de Apoyo y Capacitación para Empleadas del Hogar (CACEH), which since 2000 has functioned as a space for education and personal development for women employed as domestic workers.

Activities

The organization's primary aims have included incorporating domestic workers into the Mexican social security system, improving access to day care for such workers, ensuring health coverage for chronic illnesses, and getting Mexico to ratify the International Labour Organization's

Convention on Domestic Workers The Convention on Domestic Workers, formally the Convention concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers is a convention setting labour standards for domestic workers. It is the 189th ILO convention and was adopted during the 100th session of the ...

. The goal of ratification was accomplished in late 2019. Since 2018, when the

Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation ( es, Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (SCJN) is the Mexican institution serving as the country's federal high court and the spearhead organisation for the judiciary of the Mexican Federal Go ...

failed to enforce the right of domestic workers to participate in the social security system, SINACTRAHO has assisted workers in this sector and their employers in navigating the social security process. With the success of the 2018 movie ''

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

'', which centers on a Mexican domestic worker, in 2019 SINACTRAHO established a collaboration with the Mexican filmmaker

Alfonso Cuarón Alfonso Cuarón Orozco ( , ; born 28 November 1961) is a Mexican filmmaker. He is known for directing films in a variety of genres including the family drama ''A Little Princess (1995 film), A Little Princess'' (1995), the romantic drama ''Gre ...

to demand improved conditions for household workers. The organization arranged screenings of the film and was represented at the Academy Awards ceremony.{{Cite web, date=2019-02-24, title=Líderes de trabajadoras domésticas asistirán a la ceremonia del Óscar, url=https://vanguardia.com.mx/show/cine/lideres-de-trabajadoras-domesticas-asistiran-la-ceremonia-del-oscar-BQVG3443750, access-date=2021-09-20, website=Vanguardia, language=es-MX

References

Feminist organizations in Mexico Organizations established in 2015 Trade unions in Mexico Domestic workers' unions Women in Mexico City