The Adoption of Convention C156, (ILO) Workers with Family Responsibilities: Ecuador, a Case Study

The Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, was adopted at the 67th session of the General Conference of the International Labor Organization in Geneva by the Governing Body of the International Labor Office on June 23, 1981. By 2007, it had been ratified by 40 countries, with Albania and Paraguay (2007) being the most recent. Approximately 20% of the total number of countries that have ratified it are in the region of Latin American or the Caribbean. This paper will discuss the case of Ecuador's adoption in 2012 and how the Convention fits into its existing legal framework, while at the same time strengthening those commitments by joining the international community to affirm the rights of workers (especially women) with family responsibilities. This article analyzes the substance of the Convention and the importance for Ecuador of having ratified it. Since it deals with human rights and has become part of the country's legal framework, it is of great importance to the administrators of justice.