Our Chief Executive John Wilkes blogs about why International Women’s Day is highlighted in the Scottish Refugee Council calendar.
Blog by John Wilkes, Chief Executive
Refugee women often come from countries where the very fact that they are women means they are persecuted. We work with women from Pakistan, for example, which, according to a 2011 poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation is the third most dangerous country in the world to be a woman.
Others have fled Nigeria where many women and girls face Female Genital Mutilation, trafficking for sexual exploitation or other forms of sexual violence. To many of the Iranian women we work with, ruthless social norms and entrenched gender inequality is simply part of daily life; while those from the Democratic Republic of Congo routinely face sexual violence as a form of political persecution.
In the last couple of years we have also seen an increase in the number of women from Syria, sometimes having spent time in the overcrowded refugee camps in countries such as Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, where sexual violence and forced marriage are daily hazards.
Equality in the UK?
If women manage to flee to safety in the UK – and most do not – they should, in theory, have access to justice at last. However, in practice, the reality can be very different. Many women struggle in the asylum process. They tell us that all too often they are not believed or they don’t feel able to disclose the sensitive detail of their experiences. Talking to a Home Office official about the violent rape you suffered through an interpreter while your child is in the room is simply wrong and this practice needs to end.
Women tell us that they feel isolated. It is hard to integrate when you have just £35 a week to live on. There are long waiting lists for English classes, and it’s hard to find sufficient and affordable childcare that enables women to socialise, volunteer, or, when they do get leave to remain, to work. And so, very often, these women and their experiences remain hidden from view.
Our women’s project
For many years Scottish Refugee Council has put the issues for women refugees and women in the asylum process at the heart of our priorities. We were proud to be one of the founding signatories of the UK Women’s Asylum Charter in 2008 and have been instrumental in providing opportunities for women to speak for themselves and voice their own experiences with policy makers and service providers.
It was through this work that we secured several years of funding from Comic Relief for our Raising Refugee Women’s Voices project. Now in its third year, the project aims to empower refugee women and support them to make their concerns and experiences more visible in public life.
To do this, we work closely with the Refugee Women’s Strategy Group – a representative group of refugee and asylum seeking women who have come together to try to change the policies and practices that impact on their lives in Scotland. Together this group of women from 10 different countries including Pakistan, Algeria, Gambia, and South Africa, among others, are fast becoming a force to be recognised.
With the support of our women’s project staff RWSG has spoken up, providing evidence to parliamentary enquiries, challenging the Home Office on unfair policies – such as the lack of childcare at asylum interviews and the stigmatising ‘Go Home’ campaign last year – and holding policy makers to account when what is promised either does not appear in practice or does not recognise the particular needs and experiences of women.
Speak for yourself
In the last year, the Refugee Women’s Strategy Group carried out an engagement initiative called Speak for Yourself. Group members interviewed over 100 refugee women to find out what really matters to them. Their findings were presented at a conference, which saw 75 women from all over the world now living in Scotland coming together to have their voices heard.
Despite their diverse experiences these women reported many of the same issues. What they wanted most of all was to feel that they belonged in Scotland. This included being able to go about their daily lives without being subject to racist abuse, being able to access the services and support they need, and, crucially, being heard.
As one woman told us at the end of the conference, “In my country women do not have a voice. Here, today, we had the whole platform.”
Celebrate – and battle on
Our experience and credibility has been recognised by many, including the Scottish Government, which has recently given us some funding to investigate the challenging and sensitive issue of Female Genital Mutilation in Scotland.
As chief executive of Scottish Refugee Council I am proud of the work and achievements and impact we have made on gender inequality and for women seeking protection in Scotland and the UK. I believe International Women’s Day is an important opportunity to celebrate those achievements. It is also equally important in highlighting the challenges that remain in the battle for full equality for women and girls both here in Scotland and across the world.
This work is the responsibility of all of us, men as well as women, because the achievement of full equality for women enriches and benefits all humanity.
