From Flor to Global Resistance: Toward a World Free From War, Exploitation and Displacement
Friday, 06 March 2026 | 11 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | York University
In a world marked by war, rising fascism, economic crisis, and climate disaster, women continue to be pushed across borders just to survive.
From the execution of Flor Contemplacion in 1995, to the near-execution of Mary Jane Veloso, to the ongoing precarity of migrant caregivers in Canada and around the world — the pattern is clear. Migrant women are celebrated for their remittances, yet abandoned when they face violence, criminalization, and exploitation.
As global capitalism sinks deeper into crisis — with economic slowdowns, inflation, unemployment, and widening inequality — more women are forced to leave their homes to support families and economies. War and climate disasters displace millions. Anti-migrant policies and xenophobia scapegoat those who move. Care workers, domestic workers, and refugees carry the burden of a system they did not create.
This gathering brings together art, testimony, political education, and organizing. Erie Maestro from Migrante-Canada will be delivering a keynote lecture, followed by panels showcasing the importance of solidarity, from the Philippines to Palestine and globally. Through One Billion Rising, a film screening, a candlelight vigil, and a panel discussion, we will reflect on the connections between global crisis and women’s forced migration — and strengthen our collective resistance.
A light lunch will be provided.
Presented with support from: York Centre for Asian Research, York University’s Department of Politics, Community and Communications Committee, Global Labour Research Centre, Centre for Refugee Studies and the International Migrants Alliance.
