Casimira Rodriguez
Encyclopedia
Casimira Rodríguez was the Bolivia
n Justice Minister from February 2006 until January 23, 2007. She is a former leader in the Domestic Workers' Union, which she helped found. Rodríguez was Bolivia’s first indigenous Quechua woman to serve as a government minister. She sought to reform corruption and inefficiency in the judicial system by working to build trust and humanity.
Most of Rodríguez’s life has been spent as a domestic worker
and as an organizer of domestic workers. At the age of 13 she was taken—essentially kidnapped—from her rural village in Mizque
and brought to the city of Cochabamba
to work, with the promise that she would be given in return the schooling and care her campesino
parents could not provide. Instead, her supposed employers held Rodríguez in abusive servitude for two years, forcing her to work long hours with no pay.
Rodríguez’s experience is the lot of many of the Quechua and Aymara women of Bolivia. Poverty draws them from rural areas to cities, where persistent racial and economic discrimination relegates them almost exclusively to domestic work.
In February 2006 Casimira Rodríguez became Bolivia’s new Minister of Justice. She was replaced in a cabinet change in January 2007.
In 2007 Casimira was elected to the Ashoka
Fellowship for her work "...breaking the pattern of exploitation, trafficking, and discrimination suffered by more than 150,000 Bolivian domestic workers"
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n Justice Minister from February 2006 until January 23, 2007. She is a former leader in the Domestic Workers' Union, which she helped found. Rodríguez was Bolivia’s first indigenous Quechua woman to serve as a government minister. She sought to reform corruption and inefficiency in the judicial system by working to build trust and humanity.
Most of Rodríguez’s life has been spent as a domestic worker
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
and as an organizer of domestic workers. At the age of 13 she was taken—essentially kidnapped—from her rural village in Mizque
Mizque
Mizque is a town in the Cochabamba Department, Bolivia. It is the capital of the Mizque Province. Mizque is located in the valley of the Mizque River, one of the main tributaries of the Río Grande....
and brought to the city of Cochabamba
Cochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
to work, with the promise that she would be given in return the schooling and care her campesino
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
parents could not provide. Instead, her supposed employers held Rodríguez in abusive servitude for two years, forcing her to work long hours with no pay.
Rodríguez’s experience is the lot of many of the Quechua and Aymara women of Bolivia. Poverty draws them from rural areas to cities, where persistent racial and economic discrimination relegates them almost exclusively to domestic work.
In February 2006 Casimira Rodríguez became Bolivia’s new Minister of Justice. She was replaced in a cabinet change in January 2007.
In 2007 Casimira was elected to the Ashoka
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public is a nonprofit organization based in Arlington, VA, supporting the field of social entrepreneurship. Ashoka was founded by Bill Drayton in 1981 to identify and support leading social entrepreneurs through a Social Venture Capital approach with the goal of...
Fellowship for her work "...breaking the pattern of exploitation, trafficking, and discrimination suffered by more than 150,000 Bolivian domestic workers"