Resisting Silence; Voices of New Women in Digital Age

Due to lack of information, the existing policies and structures are pushing them, especially women, into more isolation and dependence. Migrant and Refugee women face particular challenges in accessing jobs, from sexism to dependent care. For women refugees, finding work is doubly hard: ‘You have to fight’. Even in Germany, which is often cited as a model system, just 6% of refugee women work, compared to 53% of local women, according to the International Rescue Committee. Refugee and migrant women have a high potential to lead the dialogue and address the social and economic challenges they face. But these voices have limited platforms to be heard. We aim to highlight and facilitate the role models, their resilience and success through online and offline spaces. The primary objective of this event is to convene migrants and refugee as change-makers from all Europe to gather and discuss the lived experiences and propose solutions for sustainable and effective integration policies. We will unpack how women, as well as sexual and gender minorities, find their way to achieving greater safety, independence, and economic productivity in a new country. The discussion will also focus on way forward for economic and social inclusion of women from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

The event will provide an opportunity for participants to get key takeaways and recommendations for inclusive practices throughout the range of responses to large-scale refugee situations.

• To inform; By the lens of refugee women; to show hidden power, real struggle and resistance of women on the passage of forced migration
• To create; a meaningful discourse led by refugee and migrant women in offline and online spaces around the existing social and economic challenges, motivating strong women to take the next big step in their lives.
• To bridge; strategies, policies and practical responses with experiences by highlighting the solutions to challenges faced by refugee women.