Women Working Worldwide

Who we are

Women Working Worldwide was established in 1982 and, since then, although we have worked in different sectors, with different partners, on different continents, our focus has remained the same – that is:  to work with international partner organisations to empower women to fight to obtain recognition of their rights as workers.  We are a registered charity based in Manchester, UK.

Our vision is a world in which women are free to work, to be rewarded equitably, to organise themselves and represent their own interests and needs, to work free from harassment and oppression and without harming their family life, and to achieve positions of responsibility and leadership in a non-patriarchal system where their rights are fully recognised by government and employers. 

Our mission is to work in partnership with grassroots organisations to support women workers in international production chains that supply European consumers to claim their rights, improve their conditions, seek solutions to their issues and be rewarded equitably for their work. 

Our objectives are to support women workers to empower themselves through:  providing appropriate training and promoting unionisation of workers;  advocating at national and international level for improved women’s rights, conditions and working life; building the capacity of individuals and organisations that work directly with women workers; carrying out research into women’s work for the public benefit in collaboration with women workers and to disseminate the results; and acting as a resource for women-centred work on labour rights and to link women’s organisations around the world.

Project Activities have included:

• Action research to underpin the development of a gendered perspective on strategies for supporting workers’ rights in globalised industries.

• Presentation of the findings from the research in the UK and international forums.

• Running workshops, seminars and conferences in the UK and overseas

• Production of educational and campaigning materials on the implications of industrial restructuring and trade liberalisation for women workers.

• Networking with other organisations

• Campaigning and advocacy at national and international level to secure the rights of women workers

Current Projects

A 3-year project to ensure women workers in East Africa Horticulture can claim the right to a living wage is funded by FNV Mondial, a Dutch trade union organisation.  An additional and overlapping 3-year project on living wage in East Africa Horticulture is currently being developed and if funded would start from April 2016.  (A project on sexual harassment in East Africa Horticulture was wound up in January 2016.) 

WWW carries out UK advocacy work within the framework of the Ethical Trading Initiative.  WWW receives financial support for this from the Participation Fund which is itself funded by DFiD.