| Deborah Carlos-Valencia | |
| Birth Date: | 1948 or 1949 |
| Birth Place: | Philippines |
| Nationality: | Greek |
| Occupation: | Social worker |
| Years Active: | 1984 to present |
| Organization: | Kasapi Union, Melissa Network, DIWATA – The Philippine Women’s Network in Greece, BABAYLAN-Philippine Women’s Network in Europe |
Deborah Carlos-Valencia (born) sometimes written as Deborah Valencia) is a Filipino social worker, feminist, founder of the Kasapi Union, and co-founder of the Melissa Network, an organization that brings together leaders of the established migrant community in Greece.
Carlos-Valencia is a Filipino feminist and community leader who fled the Philippines to Greece during the Marco dictatorship in 1985.[1] Her husband Joe[2] and son followed her to Greece some years later.[3] She was aged 70 in 2019.
A trade-unionist and a social worker, Carlos-Valencia had to flee the Philippines after she and her husband became involved in Workers' resistance against the Marcos dictatorship.[4]
After arrival in Greece, Carlos-Valencia co-founded the Melissa Network in Athens in 2014 with Nadina Christopoulo. The organization serves the needs of migrant women in Greece, especially migrant domestic workers in Athens.[5] The organization has since grown to include women from 45 countries.[6] The organization is a based in Victoria Square in central Athens,[7] amidst a community where far-right anti-migrant sentiment is high. Services provided include language lessons and other life skills.
In 1986, Carlos-Valencia helped found the Kasapi Union, an organisation supporting solidarity for those affected by Filipion dictator Ferdinand Marcos. In 1998, she organized a worker's solidarity event at Panteion University.
She is also helped found the DIWATA – The Philippine Women’s Network in Greece microcredit cooperative and was a founding member of BABAYLAN-Philippine Women’s Network in Europe.[8]
Six years after her arrival in Greece, in 2020, Carlos-Valencia was one of the 2.9% of Filipinos to obtain Greek citizenship.