In New Delhi this May, labour officials, researchers, and social protection practitioners from across India gathered for a five-day training that could reshape how the country safeguards mothers in the workplace. The National Training of Trainers Programme on Maternity Protection, held May 18–22, 2026, represents a pivotal moment in India's effort to translate maternity rights into lived reality for millions of working women—especially those in informal employment who remain largely excluded from protections many take for granted.
India has made measurable progress expanding maternity entitlements and strengthening labour legislation over recent years, yet a troubling gap remains. Many women workers, particularly those in informal and vulnerable employment, still lack access to maternity benefits, employment protection, and workplace health safeguards. The ILO-supported initiative, funded by the Government of Japan, directly addresses this challenge by building a national cadre of trainers who can embed maternity protection knowledge into India's institutions and systems for the long term.
The five-day programme combined technical instruction with practical exercises, guided by international standards and grounded in the ILO Maternity Protection Convention, 2000. Participants conducted training simulations and peer-learning exercises, developing the facilitation skills they would need to become changemakers in their own organisations. Dr. Shashi Bala, Senior Fellow at the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, emphasized that the training deepened understanding of maternity protection as a fundamental human right linked to gender equality, while highlighting the critical need to extend protections to informal and vulnerable workers through stronger implementation and institutional collaboration.
Why does this matter now? India's labour market is undergoing rapid transformation, and maternity protection has become increasingly recognised as essential—not merely for protecting women and children, but for improving women's labour force participation, reducing workplace discrimination, supporting productivity and retention, and advancing more inclusive economic growth. When women can access maternity benefits and employment security, entire economies benefit.
S. Sivaramakrishnan, Joint Director of the Employees' State Insurance Corporation, noted that the training helped participants assess gaps between international labour standards and current Indian legislation, equipping them to advocate for stronger protections. Senior Social Security Specialist Mariko Ouchi stressed that by investing in a national pool of trainers and institutional partnerships, the initiative strengthens ownership and sustainability of maternity protection efforts across the country—a critical factor in ensuring these gains endure beyond any single programme.
The training also reinforced a gender-transformative approach to labour policy, one that recognises changing work patterns and the often-invisible burden of unpaid care responsibilities. Michiko Miyamoto, Director of the ILO Decent Work Team for South Asia, framed maternity protection not as charity but as investment: in women workers and children, certainly, but also in healthier workplaces, stronger institutions, and more resilient economic development. The programme was implemented under the "Promoting and Building Social Protection in India" project, funded by Japan, reflecting international commitment to India's social protection landscape.
As these newly trained facilitators return to their institutions across India, they carry with them the knowledge and skills to reshape how maternity protection is understood and implemented. In doing so, they expand the circle of women who can work with dignity and security.