சர்வதேச மகளிர் தினம் Hari Wanita Antarabangsa 国际妇女节 अंतरराष्ट्रीय महिला दिवस 세계 여성의 날 Ngày Quốc tế Phụ nữ روز زن Kadınlar Günü يوم المرأة

The international climate right now is becoming more hostile for migrant and refugee women. The anti-immigrant attitudes and policies in Europe, Australia and North America, the backtracking of women’s rights in Russia and the US, and growing inequalities locally and abroad means there is still a long way to go to achieve full gender equality and equity for immigrant women, particularly for migrant and refugee women of colour.

Shakti will be marking International Women’s Day this year on the 10th of March with the message “No Equality Without Diversity” at Mt Albert War Memorial Hall. As immigrant women in Aotearoa/New Zealand, we experience patriarchal racism on an institutional and structural level, within the home and outside. After 21 years of actively working with New Zealand’s Asian, Middle Eastern and African communities, we continue to struggle for a place to exist as a community within the wider realms and be able to exercise our agency over our own affairs.

We live in a globalised world and our population is ethnically diverse but recent government strategies, including a “one size fits all” approach in the area of social services, is overlooking the specific needs of marginalised groups including migrant and refugee women, who are one of the most vulnerable communities in Aotearoa. At this event, we will also discuss in detail our campaign to #SaveShaktiWellingtonRefuge.

We invite you to join us in solidarity over a catered brunch. The Shakti Youth Unit will be launching the “Break Free” handbook for migrant and refugee youth experiencing family violence, a first of its kind in New Zealand . This event will also feature two panel discussions, one with researchers, followed by a cross-Party panel on the theme of “No Equality Without Diversity”.

We look forward to your support and presence.

This event is supported by:

Pacific Women's Watch, Multicultural Council NZ, Ethnix Links and Auckland Women's Centre

Donate to support Shakti: https://givealittle.co.nz/org/shakti