The celebration of women’s month is also a season to raise awareness on the different issues and problems that women are facing in our society today.

Hence, the IYCW-ASPAC had joined the launching of Women Workers for Health and Empowerment Network (WHEN) at Bantayog ng mga Bayani, Quezon City Philippines last March 3, 2024. The network is a broad coalition of workers and women to promote the well-being and encourage the participation of women workers in their family and community. It also aims to uphold the occupational health and safety in their working places.

WHEN emphasized the glaring problems experienced by women workers from their workplaces and their communities such as the lack of access to information and lack of awareness to the government's program. In the country today, the big challenge facing women workers at work is the low wages, gender pay gap and lack of decent work as a result of contractualization.  Many factories where women are working became vulnerable to a more severe lack of protection, benefits and threat to their health due to poor working conditions.

The lack of sufficient knowledge on health issues are also main concern for women, particularly on the Cervical Cancer disease that creates fear and misconception.  According to the data from the Department of Health, each year in the Philippines, 7,897 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 4,052 die from the said disease.

Cervical cancer ranks second in cancers among women in the Philippines and the second most common cancer in women between the ages of 15 and 44 (DOH, May 2023). Warning signs of cervical cancer show abnormal bleeding or foul-smelling vaginal discharge, bleeding after sexual intercourse, persistent back, leg, or pelvic pain, and unexplainable weight loss.

The launching of the activity offers free medical services like cervical cancer screening, medical check-up and free acupuncture.  Under the "Stronger Together than Cancer" theme, WHEN aims to raise awareness together with different women workers organizations and institutions advocating for women’s rights.  The International YCW- ASPAC is committing itself to uphold the value and dignity of every women in the world.