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On April 7th, 2019, our sister Rita Ojunge disappeared. Rita was living with her children in a Lager for refugees in Hohenleipisch, Brandenburg. After her disappearance, Rita’s family wanted to know what had happened. The refugees living in her Lager demanded justice for Rita and the closing of the Lager – which is still in very bad condition and absolutely isolated, surrounded by a forest.
The police were reluctant to search for Rita’s whereabouts. Finally, two whole months after Rita had disappeared, the police started to search for her. They found her remains just 200m away from the Lager, in the forest. The racist lack of investigation continues.
Now, two years after Rita’s murder, the prosecutor’s office might close her case and the Lager in Hohenleipisch is still not abolished.
That is why Women in Exile & Friends are inviting you to join our antiracist and feminist Demo in Cottbus on March 8th, the International Women’s Day. The meeting point will be Cottbus Hauptbahnhof Northside at 10am.
Let us commemorate Rita Ojunge and may she rest in perfect peace and power!
Let us all continue to demand justice, the continuation of the investigation and the abolishment of all Lager!
We need proper prevention, prosecution and sanctioning of Feminicides. Refugee womens lives matter!
Lets come together, be many who care and support each other!
We condemn the European Union for its war against refugees!
We condemn that Moria was build in order to neglect basic human needs.
To quote an NGO worker. “At a time when we hear from the European Union: ‘no more Moria’, a new Moria has been built and the conditions – as far as we hear from the people inside – are worse than at the previous camp.” “There seems to be a very clear agenda linked to the migration pact and the European Union’s direction, which is of containment”.
Moria is not an exception.
Refugee camps are scattered all over Europe in line with the policy of militarised extrnalisation of borders and fortress europe.
Women*, minors and people from the LGBTIQ* community are particularly vulnerable to these harsh conditions. The refugees living in the camps at the european border are going through all types of harships in the heart of Europe: living outside, suffering the winter draughts and instead of being given dignified accommodation they are being pushed back.
We call for the immediate evacuation of all people from the camps on the EU’s external borders and for dignified accommodation in host countries and municipalities.
For Women in Exile; it is not a secret, how it feels to live in camps.
We have no privacy, live isolated and the risk of getting sexually and physically abused is so much higher.
Please donate to help us keep our own Safer Space – a meeting place for refugee women* to break the isolation in the camps! We would like to be able to keep it in 2021.
In the link-video, you are able to see why this place is a very important meeting place especially for the refugee women*, and what activities took place in 2020 despite Corona.
Dear friends, supporters and all newly curious people,
This year 2020 is heading to its end and as for most people and organizations also for us it brought a lot of changes, challenges and chances.
It was quite different than other years but due to our courage and your great support and solidarity we could and are facing the challenges successfully.
The year started greatly for us and thanks to your help, we were able to open our safe space for refugee women* at Hermannstr. 22. We warmly thank all who contributed to make this possible. Especially this year it has served as our refuge, our key place, a space to break the isolation in the lagers and even with social distancing, we used this space to organize ourselves to fight for refugee women rights. Mostly our meetings had to happen online or in bigger spaces, but our work has still continued.
It was hard that we couldn’t visit the women in the Lagers (visitors are forbidden since march) but we got some insights on the situation via video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuA09OPqS18
Dear friends, supporters and all newly curious people,
This year 2020 is heading to its end and as for most people and organizations also for us it brought a lot of changes, challenges and chances.
It was quite different than other years but due to our courage and your great support and solidarity we could and are facing the challenges successfully.
The year started greatly for us and thanks to your help, we were able to open our safe space for refugee women* at Hermannstr. 22. We warmly thank all who contributed to make this possible. Especially this year it has served as our refuge, our key place, a space to break the isolation in the lagers and even with social distancing, we used this space to organize ourselves to fight for refugee women rights. Mostly our meetings had to happen online or in bigger spaces, but our work has still continued.
It was hard that we couldn’t visit the women in the Lagers (visitors are forbidden since march) but we got some insights on the situation via video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuA09OPqS18
On the international day for the elimination of the violence against women we – Women in Exile & Friends – and supporters, held a rally against Eisenhüttenstadt camp. We were demanding justice for Rita and said loud and clear: lagers are not a safe place for women and children!
In our press release we talked of reports of rapes and sexual harassment against hetero-women and lesbians, which are occurring in Eisenhüttenstadt despite of the so called “safe house” block 18 which is supposed to house vulnerable refugees.
It is a shame that the RBB reporter Marie Stumpf, after making interviews with some of us, does not quote or refers to our PR. She only quoted the white German male Manager of ZABH and ignored our reasons and demands concerning this Lager. Secondly, she reports that the woman who survived rape, went to a party in the neighbouring men block. Does she want to tell us that women should get raped if they want to party with men? Does she by any chance know, how it feels to live in isolation? Has she ever lived in such a camp? Sure, she also interviewed one of the security men and the manager, who ask the women to stay in their room in the so called „protection house “in order to keep safe.
This is blaming the victim! Marie Stumpf: you silenced our antiracist feminist protest and blamed the victim. When other million women were matching to condemn the violence and act worldwide, she comes and justifies the rape acts in the camps.
Dear Marie Stumpf, dear RBB: You should clarify, that all sorts of violence against FLINT – no matter the venue – is to be condemned.
@Marie Stumpf and @RBB24: No lager for women and children, abolish all lagers!!
Last year during the international “day against violence against women” we were mourning about our sister Rita in Hohenleipisch and demanding justice in front of the authorities in Herzberg and Potsdam. This year women living in the receiving centre lager in Eisenhüttenstadt report to us: Eisenhüttenstadt Lager is not only a dangerous corona hotspot, but also a hotspot for sexual assaults and harassment against women particularly lesbians. Lesbian and trans feel discriminated and not protected from the authorities.
This is not only happening in Eisenhüttenstadt, but also in Wünsdorf and other lagers. M., a 21-year-old lesbian from Georgia narrates, what it means living in the so called “protection house” in Eisenhüttenstadt. She was harassed by other refugees, who knew she was a lesbian. Some wanted to beat her and wanted to force her to have sex with them while others insulted her. She got depressed and had to see a psychologist. The officials and the security know of her risk, but only tell her to stay in her room, in order to keep safe. The so called “protection house” is not at all a safe place for vulnerable refugees, rather one of homemade crisis and her room a prison. Realizing this, M. requested to be transferred to Wünsdorf, hoping things could be different. In Wünsdorf she is facing the same problems. She is now looking for support to move out of the lager and meet LGBT community.
We, from Women in Exile and Friends, have for a long time been fighting for women and children to be removed from the lagers and to abolish all lagers. It is because we know and share what is happening inside these lagers. When a man assaults a woman, he is transferred to another lager where of course, he will continue assaulting others. Update reports on Rita`s murder, is that the suspect was moved to another lager. These continuous acts make us angry. Why is the system so silent about these assaults and letting women suffer these atrocities?
25.11.20 @ 12:00 – 15:00 Rally in front of the BAMF and Eisenhüttenstadt Lager, Poststraße 72, 15890 Eisenhüttenstadt (Brandenburg)
We, Women in Exile & Friends organize a Rally at midday in front of the BAMF and Eisenhüttenstadt lager (first-receiving center) condemn:
that Eisenhüttenstadt is not only a dangerous corona hot-spot but also a hot-spot for sexual assaults and harassment against vulnerable women particularly lesbians. The number of unreported cases is very high. This summer there were two rapes and one attempted rape in the Brandenburg “Reception Centers” – also in Eisenhüttenstadt. In addition, there is sexual harassment and assault, bodily injury of all kinds, domestic violence, psychological violence and stalking. We cannot close our eyes to this violence, which is also caused by the racist asylum system.
Last year on the 25.11., during the international “day against violence against women” we were mourning about our murdered sister Rita in Hohenleipisch and demanding justice in front of the authorities in Herzberg and Potsdam – this year we are going to be “loud and clear” in front of the lager in Eisenhüttenstadt, still demanding justice for Rita and showing again and again that lagers are not a safe place for women and children.
Our remarkable health magazine is now available online, and with just one click to the above link “Health magazine“, you’ll have access to it. However, one can possess the hard copies from our space at Hermannstr.22 Berlin on Tuesdays from noon or email us. Have fun by reading!
Women in Exile e.V. is looking for sustaining members!
Through many small but regular donations we can ensure the continuity of our work! There is a lot to do!
A monthly money transfer order is the best way to support us. Please inform us by sending a short email to info@women-in-exile.net, including your address for donation receipts. We are also happy to send you the print version of our newsletter!
