Promundo-Brasil, in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Cáritas, developed in October 2013 a pilot initiative with a transformative gender approach aimed at refugees, asylum seekers and employees who work with direct attention to asylum seekers and refugees.
The “Gender and the refugee population in Rio de Janeiro” initiative included two focus groups with refugees with the aim of deepening the identification of their demands and 16 hours of educational workshops based on Programs H and M and the Gender Equity in Schools Portal , to train professionals who work directly with the refugee population in Rio de Janeiro, including employees of Cáritas and UNHCR, teachers and Portuguese teachers.
The workshops promoted knowledge and reflection on gender and masculinities, prevention of HIV/AIDS and STDs, gender-based violence (sexual violence, violence against women, among others), with the aim of discussing how gender issues affect care and vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.
As a central part of the workshops, an action plan was created together with professionals, based on the ways of working with refugees and asylum seekers and focus groups. The group of professionals chose to carry out two activities, one aimed at women refugees or asylum seekers and the other aimed at men, during the 16 days of activism to end violence against women, to generate reflections on male involvement in actions prevention of violence against women.
On November 29th, “Women's Beauty Day” was held, which brought together refugees and asylum seekers from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iran for an afternoon of conversation, beauty treatments, hygiene and craft workshops. During the conversation, facilitated by Amana Mattos, issues about gender and sexuality were addressed, which gave participants the opportunity to talk about the reality of women in their country, highlighting in their particularities, very rigid gender norms and the challenges of adapting to in relation to the new reality they are experiencing in Brazil.
A week later it was the men's turn to be involved in a mixed activity, in which refugees and asylum seekers played football matches, at the end of the Olympics at Escola Municipal Friedenreich, in Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro. The friendly “Men to End Violence against Women” featured four male teams, and both matches were kicked off by refugees. At the event, information was distributed about the 16 days of activism and there was a lot of integration with the school students, who formed a huge crowd.
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