Funding snapshot: Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS)
- Programme area:
- Decent work
- Amount:
- £150,000
- Length of grant:
- 3 years
An overlooked community of vital workers
London is home to a large Latin American population, but the community is largely overlooked in policymaking decisions.
Latin American women in particular are overrepresented in sectors such as cleaning, social care, hospitality and domestic work. These are the sectors that keep London running, but they are also more likely to be low paid and carry a higher risk of abuse. /
Dolores Modern, head of policy and communications at LAWRS, says:
"The hidden nature of these industries contributes to endemic levels of labour exploitation, trafficking and abuse, leaving many women isolated and unable to access support or justice."
Ensuring Latin American Workers can get help without fear
LAWRS is a user-led, feminist, human rights organisation run by and for Latin American migrant women. It supports women and girls facing violations of their fundamental human rights: violence, labour exploitation, trafficking, and enduring poverty and deprivation.
Without safe reporting, perpetrators act with impunity while victims remain trapped in cycles of abuse and exploitation.
Our funding helps the team provide vital advice to Latin American women facing problems at work. LAWRS then draws on this frontline knowledge and experience to call for wider change.
Right now, the team is focused on the Fair Work Agency, a new single enforcement body with the potential to be a game changer for low-income Londoners.
Dolores continues:
"Over the coming years, our work will focus on ensuring that the new Fair Work Agency is equipped to reach and effectively protect migrant workers, including those in the most precarious and hidden forms of employment.
"We will continue to challenge the erosion of protections for women who have experienced trafficking and labour exploitation, and investigate the growing evidence of sexual exploitation affecting Latin American women in the UK. Our vision is of a community that is informed, empowered and integrated, where women can earn a decent living free from exploitation and abuse.
"A central pillar of this work is our campaign for safe reporting mechanisms. Too many migrant women who experience trafficking, exploitation or other crimes are deterred from reporting to the authorities because they fear immigration enforcement. Without safe reporting, perpetrators act with impunity while victims remain trapped in cycles of abuse and exploitation."
By ensuring the Fair Work Agency is set up to support all Londoners regardless of status, LAWRS' work will help ensure all workers have access to decent pay, dignified conditions, and the ability to seek remedy when needed. Ultimately, this will help tackle the underlying exploitation that traps so many in poverty.