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Road to Equality
Gender equality
Gender influences reasons for migrating, who migrates and to where, how people migrate and the networks they use, opportunities and resources available at destinations, and relations with the country of origin.
IOM advocates for equal rights, and end to discriminatory migration practices and a better understanding of how gender and migration intersect.
As we celebrate the achievements of women and girls on the journey to gender equality, we must also acknowledge the remaining roadblocks that stand in their way. At IOM, we call for a cohesive commitment to invest in migrant, displaced and diaspora women and girls in all their diversity.
With 140 million women and girls on the move, accounting for half of the world’s migrants, we recognize that harnessing the power of migration has the potential to speed up the progress towards achieving gender equality by 2030.
That is why IOM will anchor its efforts in climate solutions, leveraging the power of feminist activists, and investing in innovative financial systems for migrants IOM wants to focus on gender-responsive financing for sustainable development, robust climate action, all while ensuring that feminist change-makers are front and centre. The time for action is now.
INVOLVING WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SHAPING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
Empowering women and girls leads to stronger, more resilient communities. Shaping sustainable, equitable solutions means sharing decision-making power and making sure marginalized voices are heard and that is exactly what Community Based Planning (CBP) does.
CBP is a people-centered approach that empowers communities to identify issues in their community and develop and implement solutions. It emphasizes inclusion, participation, and the right to make decisions based on local knowledge, informed by diverse voices.
A trained facilitation team of community members responsible for implementing the CBP process is made up of women, young people and other under-represented groups.
Community members identify different socio-economic groups to involve in CBP to ensure their needs, vulnerabilities, and preferences are considered and addressed.
Proposed projects, based on participatory community assessments, are shared with the broader community with a special emphasis on making sure marginalized voices are heard.
The community monitoring and evaluation committee is inclusive of representatives from all the main socioeconomic groups with a specific focus on gender equality.
The meaningful participation of girls and women in decision-making is crucial to ensuring equal enjoyment of rights and empowerment. Learn more about putting CBP into practice here.
COMMUNITY BASED PLANNING IN ACTION
In Nigeria, CBP led to the renovation of a school classroom and a solar-powered borehole, creating a better learning environment for boys and girls and giving community members access to water, without the need to trek long distances – a task often done by girls and women.
A unified call for progress
When adequate investment is made in the lives of women and girls, everyone wins. Gender inequality not only threatens human rights but also exacerbates poverty, environmental degradation, and undermines the outstanding efforts of feminist changemakers. By pooling our efforts together, we can work towards ensuring the best possible outcomes for women and girls, including those who are migrants. This is how and why it can be done:
Migrant women are key in combating the adverse effects of climate change. When empowered, they have the skills to mitigate challenges, enhance resilience and contribute to sustainable solutions within their communities.
IOM advocates for investments and partnerships with women-led human rights organisations that work with migrant, diaspora and internally displaced communities within an intersectional feminist praxis which advocates for disadvantaged communities.
Leveraging migrant women's financial contributions is key to combatting poverty. Investments in innovative financial mechanisms can propel their significant contributions within their countries of origin even further.
Women and girls in technology is a win-win
When women and girls are given equal access to technology, it unlocks their potential for creativity and innovation, leading to solutions that cater to women's needs and promote gender equality. On the other hand, excluding women and girls from technology comes at a significant cost, resulting in social exclusion and economic losses.
Innovation, technology, and digital education have the power to increase migrant women and girls' awareness of their rights and create opportunities to tackle real-life challenges. However, the digital revolution can also reinforce existing gender inequalities.
Explore the images below to discover how technology can either enhance or jeopardize gender equality. Click on each image to learn more and join us in the journey towards a more equitable future for all
Women often encounter difficulties in accessing technology, not only because of issues with affordability or infrastructure, but also due to discrimination and unequal opportunities for skills’ development.
The use of digital technology in finance is growing. Yet, globally, many women are still “unbanked and lack access to financial accounts, loans, or insurance services.
In many countries, SIM cards are required to access mobile networks and the internet.
The use of digital technology in finance is growing. Yet, globally, many women are still “unbanked and lack access to financial accounts, loans, or insurance services.
Migrant girls often face multiple barriers to accessing education, such as language barriers, financial constraints, and social isolation. Digital education can provide a solution to these challenges by offering flexible and accessible learning opportunities that can be accessed from anywhere.
Investing in technology with a focus on gender can help to address the specific challenges and barriers faced by migrant women and girls, such as language barriers, cultural differences, and limited access to resources.
What Can You Do?
Whether you find yourself in Ethiopia or Iraq, in Egypt or Chad, there are many ways you can contribute to gender equality:
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Learn about the ways gender affects migration
The more you learn, the better equipped you will be to empathize with migrant women and girls in your community and to design interventions that are gender-responsive and even gender-transformative!
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Combat discrimination in every aspect of daily life
Look around you. Do you see examples of unequal access to power, resources or opportunities? Get a group together to talk about it and figure out how you can make progress toward equality together.
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Advocate for equal rights under the law in employment and mobility
Push for legal frameworks and policies that ensure all individuals - regardless of their gender - have the same opportunities, protections, and freedoms related to work and movement across borders.
Promoting gender equality through community engagement
Start learning right here, right now. We have collected some key resources to get you started on a gender equality learning journey:
Promoting gender equality through community engagement
Whenever we plan, implement and evaluate community engagement activities, we can keep some gender equality considerations in mind:
Planning:
- Did we involve a balance of stakeholders of different genders in the design of this activity?
- Are we considering the unique challenges and opportunities that different genders face in this community?
- How will we ensure that traditional gender roles don’t limit participation or influence decision-making?
Implementing:
- Are the methods of engagement (e.g., workshops, meetings) designed to be welcoming and accommodating for all genders?
- Have we considered potential risks that could make certain genders feel unsafe or excluded (e.g., harassment, intimidation)?
- How are we ensuring that certain genders are not dominating discussions or decision-making processes?
Evaluation:
- Were there any gender-specific challenges or barriers that arose during implementation? Were these addressed?
- Did we achieve equal representation and participation from all genders, especially in decision-making processes?
- How do we know if the activities led to tangible improvements in gender equality or empowerment?
Road to Equality is a campaign by the COMPASS initiative created with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands.
For more information, please visit:
www.iom.int/compass
