“Care Law gains momentum in Congress with sessions promoted by the Ministry of Women”

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Santo Domingo. – The Ministry of Women strengthened the discussion process of the Care Law through a series of work sessions with congresspeople, representatives of trade union organizations, civil society, and national and international specialists, with the purpose of enriching the legislative proposal and advancing towards the construction of a regulatory framework that responds to the country’s demographic, social, and economic challenges.

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The activities brought together senators and deputies from different parliamentary groups in spaces for dialogue aimed at exchanging experiences, analyzing the main challenges of the bill, and identifying contributions that help strengthen its content before its approval.

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The agenda included the workshop “Parliamentary advocacy for the approval of the Care Law: argumentation, negotiation, and roadmap,” held at the Chamber of Deputies, and the seminar “Towards a Care Law in the Dominican Republic: legislative progress and regional lessons,” held at the Senate of the Republic, both with technical support from UN Women to incorporate comparative experiences and strengthen the regulatory proposal.

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During the opening, Minister Gloria Reyes stated that the country is facing a new demographic reality that makes it necessary to place care at the center of public policies.

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“From the perspective of the State and planning, we must adapt to a new demographic reality where care is a central axis, both as a right of all citizens and as an opportunity offered by the care economy to generate employment and contribute to the country’s development,” he/she expressed.

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The minister pointed out that it is up to the National Congress to promote a new chapter in the country’s history by passing legislation that recognizes care as a right and lays the foundations for a fairer, more inclusive, and sustainable system.

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From a legislative perspective, the president of the Senate’s Gender and Family Affairs Commission, Senator Aracelis Villanueva, maintained that the country has already moved past the debate regarding the need for a Care Law and that the challenge now is to move toward its final approval.

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“We have come to talk about this law, its content and its importance. Care is work and its unequal distribution limits women’s opportunities. This project recognizes the right to receive care in conditions of dignity, to provide care in conditions of freedom and security, and the right to self-care,” she stated.

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For her part, the vice president of the Chamber of Deputies, Dahruelly D’Aza, highlighted that the initiative must be assumed as a national priority due to its impact on the entire society.

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“This is a national issue that transcends governments and institutions, which is why we must analyze it comprehensively and with an articulated perspective. It is about advancing gradually, understanding that all of us have needed care and have also cared for others throughout our lives,” he/she stated.

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A step towards the National Care System
The sessions are part of the regional project “Transforming Economies,” promoted by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and UN Women, which promotes social and gender co-responsibility policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, entities represented by Manuel Alba Cano and Melissa Jaar, respectively.

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The workspaces also had the technical support of UN Women consultant Viviana Piñeiro, who presented a comparative analysis of the legislative initiatives under discussion and highlighted that the Dominican Republic has made significant progress in terms of care policies.

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Piñeiro pointed out that the various projects currently under discussion contain complementary elements that can converge into a more robust proposal, based on the recognition of care as a human right, social and gender co-responsibility, and the construction of an intersectoral system that involves the State, families, communities, and the private sector.

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These sessions are part of the process of building a regulatory framework that recognizes, values, and redistributes care work, promoting a more equitable social organization and laying the foundations for a National Care System that contributes to the well-being of the population and the sustainable development of the Dominican Republic.

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