ORAM hosted a focus group discussion with LBTQ women refugees and asylum seekers in Nairobi, Kenya, to commemorate the day.
Pictured: ORAM's Livelihoods Intern, Kennedy Mwangi (left), with focus group participants.
March 8th marks International Women's Day, a global day celebrating women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. To recognize this important day, ORAM invited lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LBTQ) women refugees and asylum seekers to a focus group discussion, where participants could share milestones and challenges and recommend action to further support and empower LBTQ women refugees in Nairobi. Many participants were unaware of others in the LBTQ women refugee community and were happy to attend the discussion and make connections.
UN Women, the United Nations department dedicated to women's empowerment, celebrates International Women's Day this year under the theme "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality." In honor of that theme and ORAM's work of providing digital skills training at its Digital Learning Center for LGBTIQ refugees, our team spoke with participants on the digital gender gap and their ideas to reduce it.
Hosted at an LGBTIQ refugee-led community-based organization's safe house, 24 LBTQ women refugees attended the focus group discussion. Of the 24 participants, 66 percent identify as lesbians, 12 percent as bisexual, 17 percent as transwomen, and four percent identify as Gender Non-Conforming (GNC). Participants also represented different countries of origin, including 16 from Uganda, three from the Congo, two from Burundi, two from Rwanda, and one from Tanzania.
The focus group discussion began with milestones LBTQ women refugees have achieved in Nairobi. Participants shared that LBTQ women have gained more visibility and representation by forming LBTQ women refugee-led organizations. Increased visibility and representation have resulted in many LBTQ women refugees finding chosen families, a network of mentors, and increased access to safe spaces.
Pictured: The focus group discussion for LBTQ women refugees.
While there have been significant milestones for LBTQ women refugees, the community still faces immense challenges. Personal safety was among the top concerns addressed during the focus group discussion. Additionally, participants shared that there is an inadequate response when LBTQ women refugees report crimes such as sexual abuse. "When will this end? When shall we be free to be ourselves?" asked Rose, one of the participants.
Bisexual women refugees reported feeling neglected by the community and agencies, as some don't believe them to be vulnerable. Lesbians with feminine attributes shared they are not viewed as vulnerable when receiving humanitarian assistance as opposed to gay men and transgender individuals. And notably, women leaders of refugee-led community-based organizations (CBOs) reported that they do not receive the same respect given to male leaders. They share that male leaders within the CBOs they manage look down upon them despite sharing the same leadership roles.
When asked about the digital gender gap and its impact on LBTQ women refugees, many participants shared that discrimination against LBTQ women exists in online spaces. UN Women reported this as a significant factor in the digital gender gap and a threat to ending it. Participants of the focus group discussion also identified limited internet access and lack of tools such as laptops as contributing factors to the digital gender divide. They also said that traditional African cultural beliefs that favor men over women lead to women being overlooked in digital spaces and online work.
The LBTQ women refugees proposed possible solutions to reduce the dangerous digital gender gap. Those solutions include ensuring security mechanisms are in place, documenting instances of violence against women, and educating LBTQ women refugees on how to protect themselves online. They also mentioned reducing the gap through digital literacy projects and increasing access to Wi-Fi laptops for the LBQT community.
ORAM is working to increase digital literacy and skills through our Digital Learning Center for LGBTIQ refugees in Nairobi. Nearly half of the focus group participants were familiar with ORAM's Digital Learning Center and were interested in learning more about computer literacy and graphic design.
Currently, eight trainees at ORAM's Digital Learning Center are LBTQ women refugees. As the Center grows and expands, we hope it serves as a safe space for more LBTQ women refugees and a vehicle for ending the digital gender gap that negatively impacts women.
Your support will ensure ORAM can continue digital skills training and safe online job opportunities for LGBTIQ refugees in Nairobi. Please donate today to support ORAM's Digital Learning Center.