Invitation

to Preparation-Meeting of the Congress of the Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants "Unite against Deportation" against social exclusion, isolation and deportation threat, issue: "Situation of Refugee and Migrant Women", on the 19th February 2000, beginning at 12.00 am, in Nürnberg, DESI, Brückenstrasse 23

Scheduled Topics

1. Short presentation and reports
2. Discussion of the contents of the day
3. Structural and organisatorical questions, e.g: - Time structure? Relation between reports from different organisations and working groups? Should there be women groups? -How to fix results and perspectives? Can there be babysitters?
4. Mobilisation

Responds please to:

• Martina: 06151/313720 email: M_Hammel@hrz1.hrz.tu-darmstadt.de
• Nicole Niedermüller, Vor der Halde 4, 78462 Konstanz, Tel/Fax: 07531/24732 email: Nicole.Niedermueller@gmx.de
• Traudi Pichlmeier, Lycée Hélène Boucher, 55 Boulevard Foch, 57100 Thionville, FRANCE email: Sisterfriend@gmx.de

Hello,

the KARAWANE FÜR DIE RECHTE DER FLÜCHTLINGE UND MIGRANTINNEN is organizing a refugee congress "Unite against deportation", which is supposed to take place in Jena, Thüringen from 21th April till 1st May 2000. The main aim of this congress is to build a stronger network for solidarity and support in the struggle against deportation(-threats), restriction, isolation and social exclusion against refugees.

We, some persons, mostly women of caravan-groups in different cities (until now: Nürnberg, Darmstadt, Konstanz) are organizing the day concerning the situation of migrant and refugee women. We think also that a female-specific perspective should be included in each of the other topics, which are for example: "We are here because you are there" (concerning the economic and human rights situation in refugees' countries and the impact of Germany and European countries on it), fascism and state racism, social exclusion of refugees, fortress Europe, the struggle against deportations. A more detailed program will follow.

We hope that refugee and migrant women participate actively in the congress and the preparation.

With this letter we want to invite you/your group not only to participate in the congress but also to support us in /with the preparation of the contents and the organisation of this day and above all in mobilizing refugee women.

For this preparation there will be a special meeting in February -probably in Nürnberg (see invitation). We hope you can come to this meeting - at least send one or two representatives. Please give this information also to other interested persons, women groups, refugee/activist groups and other organizations who might be interested.

You probably all know about the various forms in which women are specifically concerned by exclusion, discrimination, racism and sexism: for example neglectence of sexual harassment as a reason for flight, discrimating and humilitating treatment during the interview, through the police, through offices. The precarious situation of domestic workers, of sex workers or even women who are married to Germans: there is always the danger to be blackmailed or even deported.

Refugee women often don't participate in public life in the same way as men and are thus sometimes even more suffering from exclusion. And so on.

Also in a self-organisation like the Karawane women are not represented in the same way as male refugees. For this reason it is important to mobilize refugee women specifically for participating in the congress. Apart from reports of women activist to inform about the various forms of womens engagements and struggles there are supposed to be working groups to discuss experiences, build a self-organization, strengthen the cooperation between the groups and develop counter strategies.

Please consider in which way you can take part in the preparation of this day. Which experiences in the asylum process, in negotiating with offices, with the police, the public, have you made that could be useful and interesting for others ? Which experiences in self-organization/engaging the other refugees and developing of counter-strategies do you have? Experiences in artistic or journalistic projects could be very interesting, too. Could you or one of your group have a short speach/report on it in the congress? Above all we need women who could moderate a working group - maybe together with others.

Which information materials can you provide? Which other ideas, suggestions, criticism do you have concerning the subject? Which ideas concerning the mobilisation?

First ideas you find on the papers within this letter/in the internet (see www.linksrhein.de). These are proposals. Both contents and structure of the day(s) shall be discussed in a more detailed way during the preparation meeting.

Please respond in any case if you can come to the preparation meeting. If you can't be there, please participate in the discussion nevertheless: through letters, emails, phonecalls - even before the preparation meeting.

Hoping to see you in Nürnberg as well as in Jena

For the preparation group

Traudi