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Dear Sea Watch Crew, dear friends from all partner organisations,
It is an honour and joy to share in this great event and being the godmothers of Sea Watch 5.
We are women in Exile, a refugee womens group organizing for our rights in Berlin-Brandenburg, and we want to bring our thanks.
Some of us came by plane, others of us crossed mountains, deserts and seas, with all their beauty turned into deadly borders. Some who started the dangerous journey with hope, perished before fulfilling their dreams. So in all our joy and celebration we will not forget our deep sorrow and anger: It is the responsibility of German and European governments for implementing a racist migration regime that is abusing the Mediterranean to harm and kill so many of us!
As women who crossed borders we appreciate the work you have been doing for the last 5 years: Saving people from distress in stormy high seas, with the risk of getting into distress yourself, or of being criminalised, prosecuted and jailed by the authorities. You are one important part of a global solidary network. And we celebrate in deep joy the successes and thank you from our hearts for your sacrifices and those of yours partners. We are proud to witness the growth of your fleet because we know through this, many more lives will be saved from distress.
As godmothers we will continue to fight for the rights of those who are lucky to reach the shores of fortress Europe, especially women and children who are more vulnerable to these dangerous journeys.
Safe journeys for you and may you find our brothers and sisters in distress, so you can bring relief. May you be protected from criminalization and always have a hand’s breadth of water under your keel.
For the right to come, the right to go and the right to stay!
On 14.09.2022, we did a follow-up visit to the family of A. from Syria, who has been living in a Lager in Gusow-Platkow in Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg. We reported the the situation of family A. to the Brandenburg Social Minister, Frau Nonnemacher and the Integration commissioner of Brandenburg, Frau Lemmermeier, during our meeting as members of the network of the Strategy Group on Housing. We encourtered this family during our Lager visit in April 2022. Our follow-up visit was delayed by the planning and execution of our «International Summer conference» in early August. During this follow-up visit, we realised nothing has changed and actually the family thought we had forgotten them. In our last Newsletter nr. 25, we reported how this family is living in a miserable and difficult conditions, in an old bungalow, with their three disabled family members in wheelchairs. When it is raining, water drips in and some dangerous insects sometimes find their way inside. The pictures and short video attached to this report show how this family lives.
We aim and wish to see this family assisted not only in getting a barrier-free flat and professional people to help the mother in the daily care of the disabled children but also in getting their right to stay. This is just one case of many, showing, that we need humanity and not a Bureaucracy of neglect.
During our “Summer Bus tour 2021” in north Deutschland, one of our stops was Bremen. In Bremen, we met refugee women from “TogetherweareBremen, a group of refugee women fighting for the right to Birth Certificates for their children. whom we got into contact with, before the tour. We held a peer-orientated empowerment workshop where we discussed together the possibilities of claiming the rights to obtain birth certificates of our children born in this country by challenging asylum laws and demanding our children’s rights. We later participated in a podium discussion on health and maternal rights, which Medibüro, Bremen, organised. It was very sad to listen to women living in different parts of Germany who have and were experiencing the same problems with discrimination of the identity of their children and health rights. It shows how the asylum laws are discriminative and racist. Here is a video of the discussion that took place;
Press release by Women in Exile & Friends on 8.3. 2023 Abolish Residenzpflicht! Abolish camps! On the occasion of this year’s International Women’s Day, we invite you on 08.03.2023 from 12:30 to 15:00 clock to our rally in front of the camp in Eisenhüttenstadt. Women in Exile & Friends, supporting groups and individuals will say loud and clear: Abolish Residenzpflicht! No camps for women and children! Abolish all camps! We have chosen this location because it is where the Central Foreigners Authority of Brandenburg is located and here is the location of the Central Initial Reception Facility for Refugees in Brandenburg. Elizabeth Ngari had contact with women currently living in the initial reception. “We were told that registration is going sluggish. That means no identification, no pocket money, no access to education for children and no procedural progress. In addition, since the pandemic, the county restriction again applies to refugees in Brandenburg’s initial reception centres. After decades of successful struggles for freedom of freedom of movement and against the compulsory residence, this is an enormous step backwards.” As a refugee women’s group, we lead a feminist campaign against racism and camps for women and children. Through our various platforms, we highlight the harmful effects of community shelters on women, queers, and children publicly. From gender-based violence to sexual assault to post-traumatic Stress Disorder due to fear of deportation and depression due to isolation and lack of perspective. We are also concerned about the increasing number of attacks on refugee shelters in Germany. In the year 2022, there had been at least 121 attacks. That is an increase of 73 percent compared to the previous year. In addition, there are thousands of attacks on refugees.[1] Every day, three victims – according to the police statement! The number of unreported cases must be much higher. “This is a consequence and part of the European war against refugees. We are being presented in parliaments and laws as a threat,” says Elizabeth Ngari. “We are witnesses to the consistent violation of human rights. The beautiful Mediterranean Sea has become the deadliest border in the world. So has one of the few virgin forests in Europe between Poland and Belarus. It is now crossed by a newly built, hermetically sealed border. When we refugees finally make it to Europe, we experience these disgusting little racist laws designed to make us small and keep us out! Every day we have to stand up to Deportations, racism and sexism. Really, enough is enough! We are fed up! And we say STOP to this discriminatory treatment on all levels! We demand participation, justice and safe living conditions! We demand respect for the rights of women and queers. We demand fair procedures for all refugees, that respect human dignity.!”
No camps for women and children! Abolish all camps!
For the RIGHT TO COME, TO STAY AND TO LEAVE!
Press contact 015212874966
[1] Vgl. Neues Deutschland: Mehr Anschläge auf Flüchtlingsunterkünfte, Matthias Monroy, vom 02.03.2023.
Every year, W.i.E&F holds a summer action about our fight and demand ” NO LAGER FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN”. In this regard, last year we did a Bus tour to northern Germany where we visited different lagers to ascertain the current situation and bring to light the current situation of women and children in these Lagers. We carried the motto “Women moving against Lagers and Racism” as we brought our voices to these different places and served as a tool to make public what we know to be true to the public. With this, we filmed a documentary showcasing the different places and talked with the women from their points of view.
We hope this Documentary will serve its purpose as a call for all to denounce the Racist Lager system.
Photos from our visit with the women from Cecosesola
On the 29th of August, we W.I.E&F had the pleasure of hosting Ana Maria and Ana Mildred from Cecosesola (Central Cooperativa de Servicios Sociales del Estado Lara), a non-hierarchical solidary of cooperatives in Venezuela at our space in Hermannstr 22. They were in Germany for an exchange programme that takes place every two years and this is the third time they are having an exchange with Germany.
They also participated in our International conference that took place from the 4th to the 7th of August. The reason for this meeting was not only to visit with each other but to also exchange experiences in our fields of work. The meeting was arranged by our good network from Ulenkrug who among others were hosting them After a few good laughs, we were able to listen to them with the help of three translators who translated from English to Spanish and vice-versa.
Cecosesola is 54 years old, born out of necessity. They work in the cultivation of food and its distribution. Providing the food that they cultivate to the poorer communities at a lower price than the current market Price. They have 26 selling points with the major parts being open from Wednesday to Saturday which makes distribution the most significant part.
They provide Health care services in which a Health Centre was built in 2007. For this to be realised, they were able to get an interest-free loan from a cooperative since they could not afford a bank loan.
workshop on difficulties and violence faced by migrants and Refugees
We kicked off our International conference “Breaking Borders to Build Bridges” with an opening ceremony on the 4.8.2022 in the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Berlin with a powerful performance and singing of our freshly formed interreligious choir. In attendance were national and internal guests, overall 250 women* and children. The International conference carried a lot of activities and thus had to be of the same magnitude. The event was meant to celebrate 20 years of Women in Exile and the launching of our collectively self-written book by both women in exile & friends and supporters.
For the whole conference, Women in Exile & Friends had planned different themes for the workshops. We had workshops geared towards gender-specific reasons to flee; exploitation, marginalization and violence.
In a panel discussion with activists from our networks from IWS, Flit* Solidarity Africa, Respect and activists from WIE Rostock and WIE, the topic was: “What does it mean to live with insecure residence or without papers?” Experiences were shared and suggestions for solutions were discussed.
From the 14.07 – 17.07, we took our book reading sessions to Rostock and Ulenkrug in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. We managed to visit the lager in Jördenstorf and the visit was very emotional because we met some women* whom we had met last year during our bus tour. It was very sad on the other side to find out that they are still living in the lager with no perspectives.
We met our sister group Women in Exile Rostock who accomapanied us to the book readings and introduced us to many refugee women* who are all interested in joining our international conference marking “20 years of Women in Exile”.
It was a very encouraging visit because the refugee women* and their supporters asked for a slot in the conference to discuss about the life`s of “women* living in war torn countries” and they willl also talk on the events coming up to mark 30 years of the Pogrom in Rostock. This room will be facililated by refugee women* from Afghanistani and Ukraine, including supporting groups from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
We are tired of hearing outcries only when images of inhumanity and death on the European external borders are seen on screens in the living rooms. Melilla is not an individual case. Deadly Borders are everyday evil. But the European government, the politicians and most of its citizens pretend it is not happening. People are dying everyday: in Melilla, in the Mediterranean see, in Poland, Belarus, Lithunia – in the name of protecting fortress Europe.
Activists are on the streets everyday condemning these policies but the European governments and politicians have no interest in listening. We condemn the brutality and inhumanity leashed out to the African Black people, who are fought as invaders of the European continent and civilization. Today, we are not going to start a colonial or neo-colonialism history lesson. We are demanding justice for all the past and current victims of these inhumane European colonial border policies.
The Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez praised the actions of the security forces. EU Council President Charles Michel pledged his full support to the Spanish authorities. Without a post-mortem examination and identification, people are to be buried quickly. Is it to cover up the crime?! Don’t the families have the right to bury their grandchildren, children, lovers and siblings themselves? What an inhuman and lack of leadership way in responding to a disaster! “This blood will not go for free from their hands. These killers will not know peace!”, was a response from one of us.
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