The following is a guest blog by Simona Prete, Policy and Communication Officer, British Embassy to the Holy See
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Last week, I attended a roundtable discussion held during the VII World Congress of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, focused on migrant women, cooperation and development. I joined women with incredible backgrounds and experience on the ground – Sr. Patricia Ebegbulem, Coordinator for the African Network against Human trafficking, Dr. Martina Liebsch, Advocacy and Policy Director at Caritas Internationalis, Sr. Rosita Milesi, Director of Migration and Human Rights Institute Brasilia. Between them, they sought to shift the focus from the negative aspects (“trafficking”, “violence”, “exploitation”) into a more constructive perspective: women have still untapped potential for development. They argued that it is the duty of governments to give migrant women the opportunity for their true development, helping them to tap that potential, creating networks. We cannot focus on economic benefits alone.
According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), women make up 49% of global migration. In the past, women’s migration movements were strongly tied to family reunification. In today’s society, women migrate, nowadays more often on their own, because of difficult economic or environmental circumstances, in search of better life for their children and future generations. As female migrants, they are more vulnerable than men, and can easily become victims of traffickers before reaching the country of destination, at risk of losing their dignity and their liberty.
Such dangers apply in many parts of the world to all women, not only migrant women. I hope that these 16 days of Activism against against Gender-Based Violence Campaign will bring to light that violence against women is not inevitable and it is a defeat for all: our families, our society, and our values, of which women are the prime custodians.