Working groups
As an NGO working in the field of feminism and equality, WomanUp Foundation participates in international working groups to exchange experiences, knowledge and good practices with organizations and experts from different countries. This allows us to be part of the processes of creating and developing gender equality policies, to present the perspective and needs of local communities and to contribute to international efforts to protect the rights of women and vulnerable groups. Our international participation also strengthens the capacity of the organization and creates opportunities for partnerships and joint initiatives.
We are part of the WIDE+ Network - an international organization dedicated to feminism and the fight for women's rights. We participate in two Working Groups - Migration and Gender Issues and a Working Group on Building a Feminist Movement.
WG Migration and Gender
The working group aims to promote the rights and participation of migrant women, girls and gender non-conforming persons in democratic life throughout Europe. We want to debunk the simplistic narrative of migrant women as victims. As Bell Hooks articulated, there is power at the margins, and migrant women are powerful agents of transformative change.
The working groups organises online and face to face capacity building events that allow for transnational exchange and learning. It facilitates and support national capacity building events. It engages in awareness raising, making migrant women’s work visible in international spaces including online and towards European policy makers.
We are committed to advocating for:
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National and European policies to be more intersectional, fully accounting for the multi-layered forms of discrimination faced by migrant women;
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The removal of barriers to healthcare services, including sexual and reproductive health services and protection against gender-based violence, regardless of immigration documentation/status;
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Victim protection and other support services for migrant women facing gender-based violence, without facing threat of deportation;
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Migration status that is not spouse dependent; migrant women should have the right to apply for or retain residence visas in instances of separation or divorce.
WG Feminist Movement Building
Creating Spaces for joint reflection and strategizing
The WIDE+ Feminist Movement Building Working Group works together to provide spaces for transnational feminist collaboration and reflection in Europe on key themes and questions we are faced with at this moment, such as: “how to make our feminist visions heard in public spaces, while being protected from online violence and restrictions from politicians?”, or: “how can we make an intersectional feminist approach tangible?”.
Activities: in general, programmatic development of online or face-to-face spaces around key strategic questions within feminisms that link global developments to European trends; preparation to face to face events.