Good Practices in Providing Services for Social Inclusion and Citizen Participation of Migrant Women
Efforts for migrant integration, with particular reference to social inclusion and citizen participation of migrant women, can be observed through the prism of good practices, implemented at various territorial levels (national/international, regional/interregional, local). Besides, processes of social inclusion and citizen participation of migrant women imply a joint commitment of various entities active in the field, namely public bodies, local authorities, civil society organisations, NGOs, diaspora organisations, cultural associations etc., in order to achieve good results and practices.
The following are some of the most widespread social inclusion practices:
- Education and employment integration programmes for adults, and esp. for migrant women, are aimed at strengthening their professional and social skills by facilitating their inclusion through educational activities and paid internships, often arranged and implemented as specific vocational training programmes.
- Language courses for adults, also organised in groups of migrant women only: the main goal of language training is to make migrant women achieve fluency in oral communication, basically aimed at facilitating their access to the labour market, hence part of curricula is built upon everyday situations; in the frames of language training programmes, it is possible to arrange University exams at an advanced level in order to certify one’s proficiency in the national language of the host society.
- Cultural-linguistic mediation is a rather diffused integration tool in diverse European countries: the service is largely used within education systems with both migrant children/pupils and their families (school-family communication); it can be further provided in training activities for adults, namely migrant women; more specifically, mediation services can be found at employment offices, and more importantly in the sphere of health assistance (hospitals) with special attention to women’s health.
- Information help-desks (offices, online platforms, phone lines, etc.) created by NGOs, migrant and migrant women’s associations at various territorial levels, from local to international: covering diverse areas (family, education, employment, health, housing, socialisation, bureaucracy, etc.), these organisations are occupied with a number of integration services that prove to be insufficiently or inadequately addressed by public administration: these include basic information and counselling, mediation, legal assistance, educational & training programmes, language courses, guidance to employment, psychological support, and else services aimed at bridging the involved parts (migrants and natives) and facilitating social inclusion of migrants, i.e. migrant women and their specific needs.
- Active involvement of migrant women in socio-cultural and socio-political life: this means including migrant women in initiatives going beyond a “mere” existential needs and introducing them to the socio-cultural and socio-political life of the context they have settled in; these actions are mostly promoted by migrant and autochthonous NGOs and associations, and imply a long row of activities, such as arts workshops, sensitisation campaigns, intercultural activities, maintenance of cultural and linguistic identity, public conferences, research and documentation activities, etc., all aimed at further support and development of migrant women’s social skills useful for their effective social inclusion and citizen participation.
Social support networks: networking has produced good results at various territorial and operational levels: friendship and family networks are rated as fundamental for inclusion of migrants/migrant women in receiving societies, especially at the beginning of one’s migration experience; thereafter, social support networks, often made of associations, NGOs, religious entities, etc., constitute a vital resource for effective inclusion by offering migrant women a larger possibility of their social, cultural and political representation and citizen participation.
Online Resources
DIMITRA, DOCUMENTA, EDITC & KIST, 2018, Good practices on social integration and civic participation of migrant women at European level, Deliverable 1.1: InCommon Toolbox. Cultural and Educational Interventions for the Exercise of the Active Citizenship of Migrant Women, July 2018, InCommon Project, UE.
European Commission & European Website on Integration, 31 July 2018
(https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/library-document/good-practices-social-integration-and-civic-participation-migrant-women-european_en), with Link to downloadable Report of good practices.
This publication addresses social integration, civic participation and active citizenship of migrant women, and brings along 40 examples of good practices implemented in various European countries.
Heinrich G. (Rapporteur), 2018, Migration from a gender perspective: empowering women as key actors for integration, Report | Doc. 14606 | 30 August 2018, Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Parliamentary Assembly, Council of Europe.
(https://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref-XML2HTML-en.asp?fileid=25015&lang=en)
Investing in the integration of migrant and refugee women means creating a solid basis for the inclusion of future generations and for the development of peaceful, inclusive and cohesive societies based on shared values and the respect for diversity. The design, implementation, evaluation and follow-up of all integration policies for migrants and refugees should therefore be gender sensitive.
WEMIN – Migrant Women Empowerment and Integration, International European Project, 2019-2020
(http://www.wemin-project.eu/)
WEMIN was a 2-year Project aimed at implementing and promoting a pioneering integration model for migrant and refugee women of all ages in the communities involved. The Project addressed social, cultural, educational and professional aspects of inclusion in eight countries throughout the European Union. The project implemented direct interventions in women populations through experience-sharing among Partners.
Kontodiakou P. (2018), D1.4: Detailed Description of 10 Good Practices, WEMIN.
(http://www.wemin-project.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/D1.4-Detailed-Descriptions-of-10-Good-Practices.pdf)
The aim of this publication is to provide a detailed description of the Good practices selected within the WEMIN Project dedicated to the empowerment and social integration of migrant women.