I’m Anuscheh Amir-Khalili. As a child, I witnessed the oppression of women at the hands of the Iranian regime.
I fled the country when I was eight years old – an experience that pushed me to create Flamingo e.V, a nonprofit organization that works to empower refugee women and help them gain independence.
Right now, our work is more important than ever. As I write this email, the women of Iran are fighting for their freedom. I am standing in solidarity with the people of Iran and ask you to do the same. We can end this barbaric system by taking action together!
Systemic violence against women – especially refugee women, women of colour and LGBTQ+ community members reflects patriarchal structures of power around the world – also in Germany, I witness this every day in my work. That’s why it is so important to fight the causes of flight.
The system as a whole is flawed because laws are primarily made by men for men, without consideration of women and marginalized communities.
For many refugees, the plight of fleeing their homes and the resulting experiences – such as sexual violence – deliver immense trauma. To make matters worse, most of the programs to assist refugees are not designed to meet the needs of women or LGBTQ+ individuals. This disparity shows itself in the way refugee camps are constructed, the type of medical care provided, and the jobs available for refugees.
Women’s rights are human rights and to successfully achieve equality we need to empower all women. This includes refugee women.
It is vital we create spaces for women to meet and inspire each other and to build communities for feminist empowerment.
Join me and millions of Global Citizens in our fight to change systems and empower refugee women and marginalized communities.
