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Description
Legal, social and cultural barriers in access to health care, housing, professional development and employment make refugee women in Poland one of the groups most vulnerable to social exclusion. The life situation of forced migrant women is particularly difficult. They are exposed to dangers such as sexual exploitation and violence, human trafficking, cross discrimination and cultural violence. The aim of the project is to prepare refugee women to carry out self-advocacy activities in areas where they experience unequal treatment or discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion or refugee status. The main activities are addressed to a group of refugee women who, as participants and co-authors of the project, will raise their social competences and develop and carry out a self-advocacy campaign. Within the project refugee women will take part in lectures, workshops, study visits and a bicycle ride. A concept for a publication on the successes of refugee women will be created. Together we will develop a self-advocacy guide for migrant women and a script for a film about the reasons for female migration and barriers to adaptation in the country of refuge. The film will feature refugee women who will be co-authors of the script. In addition, we will initiate an alliance network of women''s organisations to strengthen migrant women in their quest for emancipation and empowerment in their relations with institutions and the local community. The social change brought about by the project will affect different social groups: refugee women, members of local communities, social activists and employees of local institutions. The development of self-advocacy competences of refugee women will ensure their empowerment in relations with the host community.
Summary of project results
Scientific research, expert opinions and practitioner reports indicate that the Polish system of reception, service and integration of people with experience of forced migration is assessed as the weakest in Europe. The system''s shortcomings include very limited reception infrastructure, lengthy procedures, insufficient social support, limited access to education, psychological support and the labor market. The lack of a migration policy and the actual public policy towards refugees as well as the social perception of phenomena related to forced migration result in the fact that refugees legally present in our country are the group most exposed to social exclusion.
Migration has a gender - the generic dimension of migration concerns the specificity of its experience by women. Refugee women must take care not only of the material security of the family, but also of meeting all its other needs, especially when fathers are either absent or show much less ability to adapt and take care of the family in the new life situation. The living situation of forced migrant women is additionally burdened by exposure to sexual exploitation and violence, human trafficking, intersectional discrimination and culturally motivated violence.
Research shows that refugees use various survival strategies, both in organizing everyday survival and in creating long-term strategies for living in exile. Refugee women have many unused competences and needs in the field of self-organization and self-help. With sufficient support from the institutional social welfare system, especially non-governmental organizations, refugee women learn about their rights and decide to change their family, social and professional situation, stop domestic violence and take action in the public sphere.
Activities and products:
1. Implementation of the Self-Advocacy Academy, the aim of which was to prepare a group of 15 women with refugee migration experience to act as self-advocates. Three Academy meetings were held: the inaugural one in Krakow, the online meeting and the closing meeting in Tricity.
2. Creating an allied network enabling the establishment and development of contacts between refugee women and people from Poland, as well as the transfer of experiences and competences between Polish women''s and minority organizations and people with refugee experience. The network of allied organizations covers 6 voivodeships. As part of the network, people took part in 9 study visits to institutions and organizations.
3. Creation of a publication titled "Successes of female refugees" in the form of an album and its dissemination among Polish organizations and institutions of social integration and among refugee communities.
4. Recording of the film "It could have been otherwise..." in Polish and English, based on biographical narratives of the participants, presenting the reasons for escaping from their countries of origin and strategies for building a new life in a country of refuge and barriers to integration. The film was shown during the events dissemination in local communities, social and educational institutions and refugee centers.
5. Conducting a 3-day bicycle rally from the center for foreigners in the Group to Gdańsk, which was a symbolic reconstruction of the path of adaptation in a new country.
6. Developing and printing in three language versions (Polish, English, Russian) a self-advocacy guide for migrant women "In Your Name", which was distributed to social welfare institutions providing support to refugees and posted on the website.
7. As part of institutional development, a communication strategy was developed and implemented, people from the foundation''s team were trained, and equipment was purchased to increase communication capabilities.
The project results relate to the main goal, which was to increase the self-advocacy competences of refugee women, which contribute to their better integration, increased agency and a sense of influence on the social environment. Manifestations of empowerment and emancipation in various areas of life, observed and declared by people participating in the project:
1. Increased autonomy and independence
People get involved in organizing support for refugee women from Ukraine, take on the role of advisors, share their experiences, help in finding housing and work, which increases the overall effectiveness of the support provided in the project.
2. Better social integration
Participating in events where they publicly speak about refugees and the support system.
3. More effective use of available resources
Thanks to better knowledge of social, legal and administrative systems, refugee women can more effectively use available resources and services. They effectively solve problems related to raising children and seek support from institutions and specialists. They undertake consistent professional activity - they found and continue to work under an employment contract.
4. Strengthening the role of women in refugee communities
Participants confirm the feeling of strengthening their role in the family and position in their own communities.
5. Impact on public policies and support programs
They articulate their needs and problems more effectively in a public forum.
Feedback from members of Polish organizations and institutions involved in the allied network indicates benefits in the form of development of intercultural and professional competences in working with refugee people.
People participating in events in local communities present and declare reduced anxiety and uncertainty in contact with refugee people, and also declare awareness, understanding and weakening of previously held stereotypes and prejudices.