Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — From May 23 to 26, 2025, as Malaysia hosted the high-level ASEAN Summit, civil society voices rose in parallel through the ASEANPEOPLES@ASEAN 2025 gathering. Among those who joined were the International Young Christian Workers (IYCW) Asia-Pacific, a strong advocate for workers’ rights and social protection in the region.

Organized by Martabat Untuk Semua, together with regional networks such as AMRC, AROSP, HomeNet Southeast Asia, and WIEGO, the event brought together civil society organizations (CSOs) from across Southeast Asia. The aim: to challenge ASEAN’s economic priorities and push for policies that put people, especially workers, at the center.

Young Workers in the Fight for Care and Protection

As part of the forum, IYCW-ASPAC actively contributed to Thematic Issue 8, titled:
“Reframe and Invest in Inclusive and Gender-Sensitive Maternal Protection and Care Systems in the ASEAN Economy.”

Speaking from their direct experiences with young women workers in factories, informal work, and service sectors, IYCW emphasized that many young women are still denied adequate maternity leave, childcare support, and access to healthcare—especially those in precarious or informal employment.

“A truly inclusive economy must recognize the care work and reproductive roles that sustain society. Maternity protection isn’t a privilege; it’s a right. And yet, it remains out of reach for millions of young workers in ASEAN,” stated by Nanang Ibrahim, IYCW-ASPAC delegate during the discussion.

Key Demands: Protection, Investment, and Action

In collaboration with other CSOs, IYCW-ASPAC helped shape policy proposals and recommendations aimed at ASEAN leaders. Among the major demands:

• Build universal social protection systems that cover all workers, regardless of employment status.
• Invest in maternity protection and care infrastructure, including public childcare services and maternal health access.
• Ensure gender-sensitive policy frameworks that recognize the unpaid care burden placed on women.
• Strengthen collaboration across movements to ensure long-term accountability and advocacy.

The shared vision is clear: an ASEAN that invests in care is an ASEAN that invests in the future.

A Collective Voice from the Grassroots

The outcome of this engagement was the Advisory Paper to the ASEAN Chair 2025, which included the demands from all thematic issues—endorsed by 243 organizations across the region. IYCW-ASPAC proudly stood as one of them, adding its name to a growing coalition of workers, women, and grassroots groups pushing back against systems of neglect and exclusion.

Continuing the Struggle Beyond the Summit

For IYCW, this forum was not just an event, but a continuation of its commitment to build power from the base. The movement remains grounded in the everyday realities of young workers—especially women—who are often the first to suffer from poor social policies and the last to be heard.

“If ASEAN wants to talk about inclusive growth, it must start with listening to those who keep the economy running—our young workers, our caregivers, our mothers. We’re not just advocating. We’re organizing.”

As IYCW-ASPAC returns to its base groups and national movements, it carries with it renewed energy and a united vision: a just ASEAN where no worker is left behind—especially not those who care for life itself.