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Chile Promulgates 'Chile Cuida' Law Following Civil Society Advocacy on the Right to Care
On 9 February, Chile promulgated the ‘Chile Cuida’ law, creating the National System of Support and Care. The law recognises care as a social right and affirms social and gender co-responsibility as a pillar of public policy.
For the first time in Chile, care is incorporated as the fourth pillar of social protection, moving it from the private sphere into the realm of public responsibility. The law explicitly recognises the right to provide care, receive care and practise self-care, and establishes the State’s duty to guarantee these rights progressively.
The promulgation follows direct advocacy carried out during the bill’s parliamentary process. Following an invitation from the Senate of Chile’s Committee on Family, Children and Adolescents, GI-ESCR presented inputs on the bill recognising the right to care and creating the National System of Support and Care.
During the hearing, GI-ESCR highlighted that the bill gives concrete effect to Chile’s commitments under the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the Buenos Aires Commitment on Care, marking progress towards building a care society, defining the human right to care, and consolidating care as a public good.
GI-ESCR also identified key challenges and proposed improvements to strengthen the bill, including:
- Incorporating the four dimensions of the human right to care: the right to care, to be cared for, to self-care, and to care for the environment
- Protecting the system from commercialisation and financialisation, with the State retaining control over service provision and establishing clear limits on the role of private actors
- Ensuring sustainable financing by formally involving the Ministry of Finance and the Budget Directorate in the system’s design and implementation
These interventions were presented alongside Public Services International, Corporación Humanas, the Centre for Women’s Studies, the Gender and Equity Observatory, and the Nada Sin Nosotras Platform.
Read more here.
Following the hearing, the Senate Committee approved the bill, allowing it to continue through the legislative process and ultimately reach promulgation.
The 'Chile Cuida' law establishes an institutional framework to coordinate public policies and services across areas such as health, social protection, disability, children and older persons, addressing the long-standing fragmentation of care-related policies. The system is designed to promote autonomy throughout the life cycle.
During the promulgation, President Gabriel Boric underlined that care sustains social life and must be recognised as work, reinforcing principles raised throughout the legislative debate.
In a video message prepared for our event at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), ‘Financing Public Services’, Minister of Social Development and Family, Javiera Toro Cáceres, reflects on the role of care systems within a broader public services agenda. She highlights how investing in care supports the redistribution of responsibilities and contributes to positive social and economic outcomes.
Watch it here.
The promulgation of 'Chile Cuida' illustrates how rights-based engagement in legislative processes can contribute to translating international commitments into national law, strengthening public responsibility for care.
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