Bringing mothers’ perspectives to the fore – MMM at HRC60

Motherhood impacts economic security in old age

In the discussion on the rights of older persons, which focussed on the intersection between older persons’ right to social protection and their right to work, we highlighted the Care gap as a root cause of inequities for older women.

The increased risk of poverty faced by older women is directly linked to a lifetime of disproportionate share of unpaid care work–including caregiving that often continues into old age, as they support older relatives or grandchildren.

We also called for recognising and adressing the specific discriminations and hurdles faced by mothers–namely the “motherhood penalty”, their frequently interrupted working lives, and the impact of motherhood on women’s economic security in old age.

Read MMM statement

Recognising and valuing care key for the realisation of the right to development

We welcomed the report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to development, with focussed on the nexus between gender equality and the right to development. The report rightly calls for a feminist economy, one that invests in care infrastructure, values unpaid care, and ensures its fair sharing between women and men, families and society, public and private actors.

We therefore urged States to:

• Invest in cross-sectorial care systems, from quality, accessible childcare and parental leaves to universal healthcare and social protection
• Place care–and mothers–at the centre of national and international development strategies.

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Child labour directly linked to gender inequality–and mothers rights

The report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery focussed on child labour.

Child labour is a symptom of poverty and family vulnerability. It is also directly linked to gender inequality and mothers’ inability to participate in the Labour market. We know that when women have better education and can participate in the labour force, child labour seldom takes place.

For us at MMM, children’s rights are interconnected with mothers rights: preventing child labour therefore requires the economic empowerment of mothers through policies that recognise, value and support the unpaid work of caring, and redistribute this vital work more equitably, both between men and women and across society.

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Mothers must be recognised and involved in transitional justice processes

Speaking at the panel on Strengthening gender perspectives in transitional justice processes, we highlighted the role of mothers during conflicts and called for women, and especially mothers’, equal participation in all stages of transitional justice, and transformative reparations that value care work, restore livelihoods and healthcare, uphold dignity, and address intergenerational impacts.

Mothers stand at the heart of families and communities. In times of conflict, they are caregivers, providers, and protectors, holding together the fabric of communities and society while bearing the compounded costs of violence. Their unpaid care work sustains not only survival but also resilience and recovery. Despite this, mothers remain largely invisible in transitional justice processes. […]

Recognizing mothers’ multiple roles and ensuring their rights is not only a matter of justice, is essential for rebuilding societies, preventing recurrence, and achieving sustainable peace.

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New resolution on Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity

Last but not least, we welcome the resolution on Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights (A/HRC/RES/60/18), which was unanismously adopted by the Council. The resolution calls for renewed attention to

The 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council took place from 8 September to 8 October 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.