This Wednesday morning, Mayor Claudia López Hernández sanctioned Agreement 151 of 2023, settling a historical debt with the caregivers and families of Bogotá, with which the Care System is institutionalized, guaranteeing women caregivers in the city access to services, opportunities, and to be relieved of unpaid care work.
"We are going to take care of women, the people they care for, and that all parks, community development centers, all the infrastructure of our city is at the service of women," assured Mayor Claudia López.
"Bogota is going to take care of the people you care for, we will give you time back, and we will educate men to assume care responsibilities," she added.
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This is the legacy that the government of Claudia Lopez leaves for women, a positive response to the commitment that the mayor made to this social movement. Today, the Care System is a reality, with the 17 Care Blocks and two Care Buses that have provided more than 345,200 services to women caregivers and their families.
In this tweet, the Mayor refers to the work in the city to care for women:
Hoy es un gran día para Bogotá y sus mujeres! Firmamos el Acuerdo aprobado por unanimidad en el Concejo de Bogotá, que vuelve permanente el Sistema del Cuidado, y asegura que la ciudad nunca más volverá a olvidar a las mujeres cuidadoras y en cambio, las cuidaremos a ellas! pic.twitter.com/v1415u8GEA
— Claudia López Hernández (@ClaudiaLopez) March 29, 2023
"The historical struggles that have taken place in the district of Suba are today seeing their fruits. Women will not have to beg a local mayor, because the System of Care is here to stay," said Felipe Jiménez, Secretary of Government.
The sanction of this Agreement, an initiative led by the Women's Consultative Council, unanimously approved by the Bogota Council, allows the Care System to become a city policy that will remain over time. In addition, with the Master Plan Bogotá Greens (Bogotá Reverdece) 45 Care Blocks will be established, 20 of which will be in operation by the end of Claudia Lopez's administration.
"The city administration has fulfilled its promise to the women of Bogota and the Women's Consultative Council. Having a female mayor has made a difference," said Astrid Daza, a consultative counselor.
For her part, Tatiana Otavo, a social leader and woman caregiver, stated, "There have been many innovations in gender matters, and now the Care System becomes a policy. This will allow for the recognition of who we are and the redistribution of care and work equally."
Key points of the Agreement
- The Care System aims to recognize care work and those who perform it, reduce the time women spend on it, and distribute it equitably.
- The 24th of July every year is institutionalized as the International Self-Care Day to recognize caregivers and the work they do.
- The continuity and permanence of all Care System services over time and future administrations are guaranteed.
- The non-regressivity of the level of protection and guarantee of women's rights is ensured.
- Caregivers and people who require care and/or different levels of support are targeted as the population.
Suba district has a Care Block
During the event, the 17th Care Block in the city was also delivered to the women of the Suba district, so that caregivers and their families can study, undertake, exercise, rest, and take care of themselves. There are more than 20 free services, which they will be able to enjoy without having to leave the sector or invest time and money in travel.
"We will attend to about 90,000 people who can walk here. This is for you, it is an achievement of yours, and it is worth fighting for your rights," said Diana Rodriguez, Secretary of Women.
The anchor equipment of this Care Block is the Felicidad Fontanar del Rio Center, a facility of the District Institute of Recreation and Sports - IDRD, which has classrooms, a library, a playroom, rehearsal and recording rooms, spinning, a pool, a gym, and other spaces where, for the first time, services from more than 13 entities of the District are provided to meet the needs of caregivers and their families.
"Here in the Centro Felicidad Fontanar del Río, the entities are going to have specific spaces to offer their services and that women can have all the attention very close, we are taking care of them as we should, as State and as District", said Blanca Durán, director of the Institute of Recreation and Sports of the City.
Starting today, women in this Care Block can study to complete high school, take training courses with the National Learning System (SENA), strengthen their English, digital and financial skills, learn to create and manage their businesses and connect with job opportunities. They can also exercise, rest, and relax with bike classes, aerobics, self-defense, yoga, book club, and urban agriculture workshops, among others.
This will also be a space free of gender-based violence, as it has lawyers and psychologists who provide guidance, and legal and psychological advice so that all women can live a life free of violence and fear.
Another service that women can enjoy is the community laundry, which will operate thanks to the support of the Vanti Group, a company that has joined to make Bogotá a responsible city and donated washing and drying machines to more than 5 Care Blocks, including this one in Suba.
"From the Local Mayor's Office we set out to anchor ourselves to this purpose, everything we have done with women has been in dialogue and agreement, building an agenda through the Participatory Budget, with the Participatory Care Hall the women of the locality will take care of others", confirmed Julian Moreno, Local Mayor of Suba.
In Bogotá, we take care of those who take care of us!
The government of Claudia Lopez is building a city that puts the needs of caregivers at the center, for that implements public policies to address them in a comprehensive manner.
Since October 2020 and to date, 17 Care Blocks have been opened in: Ciudad Bolívar, Bosa, San Cristóbal, Usme, Los Mártires, Kennedy, Usaquén, Santa Fe - La Candelaria, Engativá, Rafael Uribe Uribe, Tunjuelito, Chapinero, Fontibón, and Suba.
The two Care Buses, the mobile version of the Care Blocks, were also launched to serve caregivers living in rural and urban areas that are difficult to access. Today, with the services in the Care Blocks and Care Buses, more than 345,200 services have been provided.
