Historically, the International Week of Young Workers is one moment to celebrate our international solidarity and movement identity by demonstrating for our rights, celebrating our international campaigns and actions. This year was the same, the International Week of the Young Workers, organized by the International Young Christian Workers (IYCW), served as a platform for young workers from across the globe to come together online and exchange ideas, experiences, and strategies for addressing key issues such as gender equality, precarious work, unemployment, and informality of work. This year’s week-long event took place from April 25 to May 1, culminating in the celebration of Labor Day on May 1.

"My name is Janrick Macinas, I'm 23 years old. I work as a porter in the fishing port in Mercedes. My employer pays me a daily wage of 200 pesos (US$4). My salary is not enough to meet the basic needs of my family. My dream is to finish my studies, but I wasn’t able to go to school, not even to finish my primary school because I need to work for my family. In my work, I am exposed to the risk of accidents. I often slip on the wet floor and I'm prone to infections and skin allergies due to certain toxic materials from the fish and the port. Recently, I was sick and not able to do heavy work. I am afraid to start my own family because I don’t know how I could provide for them.”

Dear women of the world,  

Happy International Women's Day 2024!

Today we are celebrating the incredible strength, resilience, and achievements of women from all walks of life. It is a day to honor the progress we have made and to acknowledge the work that still lies ahead in achieving gender equality.