International Women’s Day 2022: Break The Bias

FCJ Refugee Centre Statement on International Women’s Day

For more than 30 years, the FCJ Refugee Centre has been commemorating the resiliency, bravery and strength of refugee and precarious migrant women on International Women’s Day. Moreover, on this day we remember our Centre’s founding which began by walking in solidarity with refugee and precarious migrant women. For the last 30 years, FCJ Refugee Centre has been a safe haven for women and their children.

As an organization we pause on this day to reflect on the steps and struggles made by all women in their fight for an equitable society. Furthermore, we reflect on the collective courage to denounce a Patriarchal society in which women were not, and in many places to this day are not recognized as persons. This is a day to mark the violations made on women’s rights in society, but also to commemorate the women who have been paving the road to emancipation. Additionally, on this day we honour refugee and precarious migrant women, who have made difficult journeys to a new country and who continue to overcome the barriers in building a new life in Canada. Although this is a day to celebrate all women, at FCJ Refugee Centre we also mark this as a day to continue raising awareness around the specific injustices faced by refugee and precarious migrant women.

Today, and every day, the FCJ Refugee Centre continues our call for action. On this International Women’s Day we call on all levels of government to acknowledge the valuable work conducted by refugee and precarious migrant women in Canada. We also call on the government to provide holistic and wrap around services to support refugee and precarious migrant women. Most importantly, we are making a call to the community to support and acknowledge the resiliency of refugee and precarious migrant women.

On this International Women’s Day, as refugee and precarious migrant women continue to break the bias of what it means to be a woman, we advocate that they are not left behind.