‘Women in the city, working together for equality and respect for diversity’ was the name of the meeting that had more than 130 attendees.
A few days ago in the city of Quito, the UN Refugee Agency (Acnur) and the NGO Akuanuna held the first discussion ‘Women in the city, working together for equality and respect for diversity “, with the aim of making visible the opportunities and challenges that, in terms of protection and integration, women in human mobility and the host community in cities face, from an approach that recognizes their diversity.
The space was developed within the framework of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the 16 Days of Activism program.
Recognize diversity as a factor of development, as well as the challenges and opportunities of the integration processes faced by refugee and migrant women in cities, and to think about ways to eradicate gender-based violence were some of the topics that were discussed during the day.
According to the organizers, the idea is that this space becomes a platform where women can raise their voices and be heard, In such a way as to encourage the strengthening of public policies and institutional and civil society protection mechanisms aimed at satisfying the needs of women in Quito from a rights perspective.
The discussion was attended by panelists representing governmental, non-profit and civil society organizations, as well as women in situations of human mobility who have stood out for their contribution to the communities that host them.
Among the participating organizations were the Municipality of Quito, UN Women and Flacso Ecuador.
The event was attended by more than 130 people, who, in addition to the talks, enjoyed musical presentations, photographic exhibitions and were able to observe different short films that portray the reality faced by women fleeing their countries of origin in search of safe places where they can live together with their families.
Yolanda Zapata, head of the Pichincha, Santo Domingo and Sierra center of Acnur, commented that this first discussion aims to strengthen the dialogue about how to turn Quito into a more inclusive city for refugees and migrants, but, above all, for women who face differential challenges, inequalities and discrimination for the simple fact of being women.
“We want recommendations and suggestions to come out of this space to influence public policy, especially from women in human mobility who inhabit the city. This is a learning space in which we are going to jointly reflect on how to work for inclusion and gender equality from an approach that recognizes the diversity among women ”, says Zapata.
The organizers hope that this space will be repeated annually and be consolidated as a generator of inputs for all sectors involved in the protection of women in situations of human mobility and host communities. Undoubtedly, these types of platforms seek to improve local public policies, directing efforts towards full integration of people in situations of human mobility. (I)
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