"We are not aliens. We are humans trying to rebuild our lives."

Women Graduates-USA brought together four diverse women to discuss the challenges to economic empowerment faced by refugee and migrant women on Saturday, March 18 on the 10th Floor of the Church Center of the United Nations.

Immigrant Women & Precarious Work, Rosetta Adera, DM, New Jersey, Refugee from Rwanda

Precarious work is characterized by variable levels and degrees of objective (legal) and subjective (feeling) insecurity and has four dimensions: temporal (low job security), organizational (lack of control over conditions, pay, health & safety, etc.), economic (poor pay, wage robbery), and social (lack of collective voice and legal protection). This type of work is the reality for many refugees and migrants, and the effects are increased poverty and a lack of voice. Women are silenced, left powerless to change their condition due to the threat of losing their job if they speak up. Lack of documentation, which is a barrier to attaining better, stable employment, is particularly a problem for refugees - "When your country goes up in flames, you don't look for papers. You pick up and run." 

Psychological Aspects of Adjustments, Cynthia Grguric, PhD, New York 

Refugees and migrants go through three stages of resettling. Most psychological treatment is focused on the "pre-, contemplative" stage (are they supported, what pressures are pushing or pulling them) and "during" the period of travel (physical, emotional, and psychological traumas); however, "post stressors" remain prevalent for the first two years and only begin to decrease after five years.  The struggle between acculturation and assimilation is relevant as they gain a sense of grounding in their new settings. Economic dependency can cause guilt and pressure from back home, while feelings of loneliness and powerlessness make establishing a sense of belonging incredibly difficult, which can sometimes lead to violence. Particular pressures are put on children, who have to act as interpreters for their parents while trying to fit in at school. Culture is the glue that holds people and communities together - individual perceptions of national identity play an important role in the process. In order for refugees and migrants to successfully adjust, local communities must make the effort to reach out, practice cultural sensitivity, and provide connection and support for newcomers. 

Ramifications of Addiction, Jeanette Westbrook, Social Worker, Kentucky 

Refugees and migrants are particularly profiled and targeted by the criminal (in)justice system through DUIs, which can be used as grounds to prevent citizenship for five years and remains on record for life. Two DUI offenses are grounds for deportation, however refugees are being deported for just one offense. The main problem is that refugee settlements are doing a poor job of educating refugees about DUI laws. They may not have had DUI laws back home and often lack experience with alcohol. "The lack of access to that education and information is an institutionalized barrier." The pressure to "be American, have a beer" is thus used to criminalize and deport refugees and immigrants. 

A Personal Story, Martine Tchitchihe, UPenn, Refugee from Cameroon

After receiving threats from Boko Haram, an extremist terrorist group, Martine came to the United States in October 2014. Luckily, she was told to bring all of her documentation prior to leaving her country, which has made circumstances slightly easier. Immigration websites claim that it takes 45 days to get asylum, however Martine knows women who have waited for 11 years. Moreover, each time a refugee has to retell her story, she is forced to relive it, which has psychological effects, and if she forgets or mistakes one detail of her story, she will not be granted asylum. Martine profusely thanked her friends from Peace Corps Cameroon and UPenn, many of whom where in the audience. She cites them as her support system; they made her refugee journey to the United States possible, and keep her going every day. However, one word remains stuck in her head - "alien," a xenophobic term often used to refer to refugees and migrants. She states, "We are not aliens. We are humans trying to rebuild our lives." Martine, along with the other panelists, extended a call to action for participants to befriend at least one refugee or migrant, act as their mentor and advocate, and promote understanding in their community. 

Ensuring legal access to work and education is key for migrant women and children

By Andrea Moran

As participants stepped inside the Salvation Army's main hall for the CSW event on migrant women, there was a stark difference between last year's event.

This year? There were no migrant women on the panel.

This year, no migrant women spoke on the panel.

The current political climate and recent executive orders have sent waves of fear through migrant communities. This year, migrant women were not willing to speak publicly about their issues and experiences at this United Nations Commission on the Status of Women's (CSW) parallel event on March 13th, said Judith Wager, Deputy President of OMEP, the organization which hosted and moderated the event.

“This calls more attention to why we’re here today,” Wagner said. She said migrant women’s voices have always been silenced, and by not feeling comfortable to speak at Monday’s event, they have been silenced further.

Despite this, the event, “Empowerment of Migrant Women: Impact on their Children’s Educational Outcomes and Resilience”  featured a panel of leaders from Save the Children to the Arab American Family Support Center. Speakers spotlighted the gaps in research and advocated for top-down ways to safeguard the “safety and dignity” of migrant mothers and their children.

While the Syrian refugee crisis has created the largest displacement of people in modern history, Latin American migrants were a strong focus of the event. Specifically, the children who are left behind when a parent migrates. Migrants from Latin America, seeking better economic opportunities or fleeing gang violence in their home countries, have increased, especially the number of unaccompanied minors, said Deborah Jones, Director and UN Representative of Save the Children.

Milan added that while the topic of children left behind is researched in academia, it’s largely absent in global debates about migrants. One reason is perhaps the lack of statistics, as Jones said that it’s difficult to calculate the number of children who stay behind when a parent migrates. 

Save the Children is currently conducting research on this topic in Guatemala and Honduras, studying the psychosocial impacts on these children and the new family structures which emerge when a parent migrates. Jones said that children who have a parent who has migrated are more likely to have negative educational outcomes, lower self esteem, and are at risk for gang involvement. Jones said that more research is needed on this topic, and recommends psychosocial training for school staff who work with these children.

While the trauma and psychosocial impacts are a serious issue for children left behind, Milan stressed the need to see the potential positive effects of migration when a parent and child migrate together.

“There is a widespread perception that migration is negative for children,” he said. “But if a woman’s labor and migration rights are protected, it could be a positive experience" he said, emphasizing that if a woman migrates to a place where there's longterm opportunities and laws in place which ensure that she access to legal employment and education, it can be a more secure and positive experience.

The NY Declaration, adopted by heads of state at a UN summit in 2016, affirms the importance and educational needs of migrant children. The declaration also committed to developing a global migration compact. However, Milan said that this in the works global compact lacks sufficient language in addressing the educational needs of migrant children. He said the global community must develop a set of recommendations to ensure these rights are included in this upcoming compact, which is set for 2018.

“A child should always have access to education, despite migratory status,” Milan said.