Empowerment Workshop

Variety of problems being faced by the refugee women were shared during the workshop. Some of these women said how they get harrassed in the streets especially when they are waiting for their buses at the bus-stops, and worst cases are in winter times when it gets dark early.

Some women mentioned how their children are being mobbed at the schools and if they try to report to the teachers, their reports are usually ignored.

Due to insufficient German knowledge, these refugee women continued to share the discrimination they even face with their local supermarkets‘ cashiers or when they need to buy transportation tickets from the bus drivers. Asking someone on the street for directions, even with their little but understandable German knowledge is a nightmare.

Housing issues seemed to most of them like giving up, because they shared how they always being sent here and there, bring this and that, come next week, next month..and every time they go with the necessary documents, something new arises that they are not applicable.

Luckily, there were some who had suceeded in some of these areas that the refugee women had shared with the rest. These empowering informations such as, continuing on fighting, especially knowing what we are all entitled to, empowering themselves by trying to meet with the local groups in case there is one, or if not, at least to gather outside information and contacts from centres that work in solidarity and sharing information with one another and most of all, to break the barriers e.g. that one thinks she is better than the other or just because this woman isn’t speaking my language, I don’t need to interact with her.

The slogan „Women Breaking Borders“ encouraged them to start interacting amongst themselves, in order to try and see how they could self-organize themselves.

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