Italy
In the Italian context, social intervention for migrants rests upon an "emergency" approach: this practically means that migrants are offered a basic support (administrative, material, medical, or else depending on case) during the arrival phase, which is further added by specific policies and services that support some of their further needs related to integration.
On a regulatory level, there is Regional law 41/2005 (February 24th, 2005): Integrated system of interventions and services for the protection of social citizenship rights. Yet, there are no national nor regional policies with a focus on migrant women who actually play an active role in migration projects and experiences.
During their integration process, migrant women may face, at least in part, different situations and problems in comparison to those affecting migrant men. Accordingly, social inclusion services should be aware of these gender-driven specificities, and ready to address them in a gender-aware perspective: otherwise, there is a risk of reinforcing the mechanisms of social, economic or else exclusion in the host society.
Compared to what is generally experienced by migrant men, the conditions faced by many migrant women can be illustrated as a form of double isolation and marginalisation: due to intra-group hierarchies, migrant women are often precluded from the possibility of building new social relationships and networks in a new settlement; furthermore, such a situation makes more problematic their already difficult labour integration.
As for social inclusion services for migrants in Italy, many of them are decentralised and distributed through territorial networks. A large part of initiatives, including collaborative projects, assistance programmes and sociocultural activities involving immigrants are developed at various territorial levels (esp. local or regional), and implemented by NGOs, associations and social cooperatives: this is actually the context offering the most eloquent and meaningful experiences of immigrant participation and inclusion, and generating greater impact on the integration processes of immigrant population in Italy. This is finally true for the initiatives dedicated to migrant women, as well as for their social, cultural, economic, and political involvement, participation, and inclusion. Some of these services are:
§ reception (for those who need it in the initial stage)
§ cultural-linguistic mediation
§ language courses
§ children schooling
§ vocational training
§ activities with women
§ support in bureaucratic procedures
§ support in employment integration, etc.
Recommendations. Given that social inclusion processes follow subjective and non-standardised patterns, it would be advisable for national regulations and guidelines to be based on specific needs of migrant women and developed in a long-term perspective. The following are some recommendations aimed at strengthening social inclusion policies and services for migrant women:
§ develop a gender-sensitive and human rights-based integration policy
§ support migrant women by adopting strategies based on a gender-sensitive approach
§ promote migrant women’s empowerment potentials and emancipatory processes
§ provide more systematic support in training and choosing a course of study
§ strengthen support and access to healthcare services with a special attention to sexual health
§ strengthen support in finding employment.
“Participation as Emancipation” https://viw.pixel-online.org/case_view.php?id=NDk=: the protagonist of the story highlights the role that associations play in social inclusion of migrant women: in fact, associations represent a fundamental tool of empowerment, self-awareness and emancipation of migrant women in Italy.
References
Tognetti M., 2016, Donne e processi migratori tra continuità e cambiamento, Paradoxa X(3), Luglio/Settembre 2016, pp. 69- 88.
(https://boa.unimib.it/retrieve/handle/10281/140154/199036/PARADOXATognetti2016.pdf)
This article speaks about the active role (agency) of women in migration processes, with particular reference to the Italian context starting from the 1970s up to now.
Bonora N., 2011, Donne migranti, protagoniste attive nei processi di trasformazione, Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica, 6, 1 – Pedagogia di Genere.
(https://rpd.unibo.it/article/view/2235)
This article sets out to make a contribution towards overturning some commonly held beliefs regarding migrant women and the migration of women, highlighting in particular economic and cultural benefits. It analyses national and international reports, bibliographic sources and interviews.
BASE – Servizi di sostegno per le ragazze e donne migranti e rifugiate nei casi di violenza sessuale e di genere
(https://cesie.org/project/base/)
The web site of the BASE Project reports a series of practices for social inclusion of migrant girls and women, along with some strategies for social services with a gender approach in the Italian context.
Programma Integra. Area inclusione sociale e accoglienza
(https://www.programmaintegra.it/wp/attivita/area-inclusione-sociale/progetti-conclusi-area-inclusione-sociale/)
Integra Programme brings together a series of specific projects for migrant women with the aim of promoting their social inclusion and psychophysical well-being.