MIMPOL – Migrants doing Politics
Political empowerment; Political participation; Politicians and Migrants in the same intercultural dialogue – political-training through mentoring
1. Bachground
“Recognizing that, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ideal of free human beings enjoying civil liberties and political rights, without fear and misery, can only be achieved if conditions permitting everyone may enjoy his civil and political rights, as well as his economic, social and cultural rights are created”, (Preamble, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), 16 December 1966.
According to the annual immigrants report 2007, 710.920 immigrants are living in Austria (2001 Census), 336.537 are women, that represents 46.3% of this migrant population. Among them, 257.000 immigrants are living only in Vienna, this represents 35% of the Viennese population (2001 Census). The number of naturalizations in 2006 was 25.746 Persons including 13.169 women (Immigrant Report 2007).
Although 35% of the Viennese population have migration background, immigrants are barely taking active part in Austrian political life, be it at district, council or national levels, and across all political parties.
“Associations and institutions with an ethnical background are numerously represented. Most of them are politically independent ...”
“Associations and institutional networks, which are specifically focused on necessities of immigrant women are rare.”
Unfortunately there is no data concerning the political participation of immigrant women in the Immigrant Report 2007.
According to this report, “the situation of women with migration background living in Austria is most often false an indadequately evaluated, but their social conditions/status are also unsatisfactory - “immigrant women are socially disavantaged”
It's a fact that non-participation of immigrant women in political life in Austria constitutes a disavantage, which does not help to improve this regretable situation. The report finally recommends a certain targeted empowerment measures for immigrant women.
The first Black European Women’s Congress initiated by AFRA in the framework of the “EU year of equal opportunities for all”, from 26-29 September 2007 in Vienna, discussed equal opportunities for immigrant women at an EU-Level, especially from the perspectives of black women.
The discussions showed that, very few women, and even less immigrant women are involved in political life, not only in the European Parliament but also in all EU-Countries.
Participants of the 1st Black European Women’s Congress therefore recommended the development of programmes which would firstly help to have an equal political representation and participation of immigrant women; and then help to avoid limiting equal opportunities to the fight against discriminations. Equal Opportunties must be the chance of everyone to have the same opportunities, real rights and duties and for a better integration of all in the society.
This recommendation part of the Vienna Declaration, adopted by the 100 participants from 16 EU-Members-States and Switzerland. Attending the Vienna Congress in September 2007.
AFRA now takes this recommendationas an opportunity to initiate and promote political participation for immigrants in Austria through mentoring. MIMPOL wants to support the intercultural dialoque between immigrants and politicians to attract and encourage immigrants to take active part in political life in Austria. MIMPOL creates a forum through which politicians (mentors) advice and guide immigrants (mentees) through the poltical landscape of Austria. Ít provides the unique posibility for both top politicians and immigrants to get to know each other, disuss their needs, chances and potentials. These meetings ensure intercultural exchange social thereby rasising political awareness of the role of immigrants in politics and at the same time strengthens intercultureal dialoque between political authorities and immigrants. MIMPOL wants to support and build political role models from immigrant-communities.
To reach this goal MIMPOL is made up of modules. Each module offers participants not only to give an insight into the political landscape of Austria but also allows a reflexion of their own decision-making, responsibility and potentials.
An integral part of the activities of MIMPOL are directed excursions to political institutions, such as political academies of Austrian political parties, district councils, the parliament etc., as an attempt to bring immigrants closer to political happenings and realities.
2. Aim of MIMPOL
Immigrants belong to a group in the Austrian society which still has to fight with different difficulties on the way to their political empowerment. For this reason MIMPOL has the following goals:
● to encourage personal empowerment and political education of immigrants
● to encourage political participation of immigrants through strategic contacts to important politicians and political networks
● to create and promote political role models among immigrants
● to give an insight into structures of political parties and important political institutions, such as the local government and the parliament
● to make politics attractive to immigrants through sharing of informal knowledge, experiences and know-how
● to initiate political discussions and exchange between mentees and mentors on an equal basis
● to encourage self-confidence, self determination and political participation of immigrants
● to encourage and promote o-operation between mentees and mentors to enable and strengthen decision making and responsibility based on intercultural dialog
3. Target Group
MIMPOL is focused on three target groups, regardless of origin, age, sexual orientation, religious and, ethnic affiliation, disability etc.
Mentees are :
immigrants who are interested in taking an active part in politics
- politicians with migration background
- politicians who want to support the political participation of immigrants
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