The Government Delegation in the Canary Islands, in collaboration with Casa África, held today in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria the First Conference on the Rights of Migrant Women Victims of Gender Violence, in which the problems faced by this group have been given a voice when it is also subject to some kind of violence.
The day, organized by the Violence against Women Coordination Unit of the Government Delegation within the framework of Open Administration Week 2024, has been inaugurated by the Government’s subdelegate in Las Palmas, Teresa Mayans, and by the Director General of Casa África, José Segura, in the presence of experts in the field and representatives of associations and the consular body accredited in the Canary Islands.
“For the Government Delegation it is very important to hold this forum, the first, to which we intend to give continuity. This initiative is the result of our interest in meeting the needs of a group, that of migrant women, who suffer a double situation of vulnerability when leaving their countries of origin, that of any migrant, to which is added in some cases those related to their status as women whose fundamental rights are not respected and who are victims of some kind of violence,” said the Subdelegate of the Government in Las Palmas.
“These migrant women, who in many cases have arrived in the Canary Islands in precarious boats risking their lives and some with very young ages, face in the destination country an isolation caused by difficulties for their integration such as linguistic, social and cultural differences. These differences also mean that they cannot exercise their rights to the same extent as any other woman, simply because of ignorance or lack of information,” he added.
Teresa Mayans has also expressed her personal interest as a sub-delegate of the Government in the eastern province of the Canary Islands in trying to offer the best possible reception to these women “who have suffered so much in their countries of origin, and who have seen no alternative but to go to sea in search of survival”. “It’s important for them to know that here they have a whole network of resources that also protect them,” he said.
The programme of the day includes the presentations “Legislative framework and rights of migrant women in situations of gender violence in Spain”, “Specific obstacles faced by African migrant women victims of gender violence”, and “Channels for obtaining information and available aid resources”.
“These women are mainly faced with the problem of ignorance of the rights they have. It is therefore essential to hold this type of meeting, precisely in order to reach and transmit this information to all those women who systematically, since they began their migratory process, see some inflated rights. And it is necessary to give them some information so that they can go ahead and fight to have those rights,” says Fahana Mahamud Dich, president of the Association of African Women in the Canary Islands (AMAC).
In addition, the attendees heard the testimony of three African women who have overcome situations of gender violence, including Aissata Touré, a native of Mauritania and representative of the Dimbe Association, which fights against female genital mutilation.
“I come to denounce the problems that women have in Spain, either because of the language barrier due to the lack of information to be able to give more visibility to these women,” said Aissata Touré, who said that among the problems are the difficulties they have for the different language when going to the doctor to report their case and for the fear of being judged.
Among the speakers, the head of the Coordination Unit against Violence against Women of the Government Delegation, Alberto García, and the head of the Office of Foreigners of the Subdelegation of the Government in Las Palmas, Soraya Sosa, have offered technical-legal information to the people attending.
This day is part of the activities organized by the Government Delegation in its seven island venues for Open Government Week, an initiative coordinated and promoted throughout the country by the General Directorate of Public Governance of the Government of Spain and framed in the International Alliance for Open Government that seeks to bring Public Administrations closer to the citizens.