Last month, we shared that new research we conducted in Mexico City found stable employment was one of the greatest needs of the LGBTIQ refugee community. ORAM recognizes that finding stable employment and economic autonomy is a challenge faced by LGBTIQ refugees around the world.
One organization in Mexico City has recently launched a program to connect LGBTIQ community members to safe spaces to work and rebuild their economic autonomy. Casa Frida is an LGBTIQ shelter whose mission is to support the “social, economic, and cultural reintegration of LGBTIQ+ people victims of violence” through building and identifying safe spaces. The shelter provides accommodation, health care, and psychological care services to vulnerable members of the community, including refugees and displaced people.
Through Casa Frida’s Contrata program, they are connecting members of the LGBTIQ community who need safe spaces to work with companies and organizations committed to providing opportunities to vulnerable members of the LGBTIQ community. The Contrata program also ensures that the jobs obtained by community members have labor protections and necessary benefits, along with company policies that protect LGBTIQ employees.
ORAM applauds the work Casa Frida is doing through their Contrata program, and our shared goal of supporting LGBTIQ community members through economic empowerment opportunities. Organizations like Casa Frida, specifically through their Contrata Program, strive to create fairer and safer work environments for LGBTIQ refugees in Mexico.
It is of vital importance that LGBTIQ refugees can support themselves financially and have opportunities to access safe employment opportunities. The journey of an LGBTIQ refugee is a long one and does not stop once they reach their country of asylum.
For more information on Casa Frida’s Contrata program, including resources for LGBTIQ refugees and interested companies in Mexico City, please click here. More information on Casa Frida can be found on their website.