Our new partner organization: The Center for Migration, Gender and Justice
By Ella Verheugen
Lara-Zuzan Golesorkhi, founder of the Center for Migration, Gender and Justice
Dr. Lara-Zuzan Golesorkhi is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs at the University of Portland. Her expertise lies in migration, gender, civil and human rights. Golesorkhi’s most recent work focuses on refugees and sustainable livelihoods. Between 2018 and 2019, she conducted field research in Jordan, Turkey, and Germany. As of March 2020, Golesorkhi is the Executive Director and Director of Advocacy at the Center for Migration, Gender, and Justice. Golesorkhi has advocated for migrant rights and gender justice at the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the United Nations. In 2015, she was a winner of the United Nations Academic Impact Global Diversity Contest.
What urged you to create the Center for Migration, Gender, and Justice?
“I created the Center for Migration, Gender, and Justice out of the belief that gender justice goes beyond borders. Migrants find themselves in grey areas of protection while on the move and in host countries. This is particularly the case for migrant women and girls, as well as LGBTQIA+ migrants. I myself am a migrant woman. Displacement and migration have deep roots in my family. As a migrant woman and through my work as a scholar, an activist, and a community organizer, I have experienced how gender justice is compromised. And, I am done compromising!”
Why did you combine the issues of Gender and Migration in your actions?
“The intersection between migration and gender has been understudied, undertheorized, and neglected in discourses and policies on migration. Historically, migrant experiences have lacked gender distinctions – “the” migrant experience was/is a male experience. While progress has been made, much is left to be done. The migration-gender nexus remains contested in that it is where scholarly inquiry, policy agendas, and lived experiences collide. Gender continues to be conceived within binary conceptions, and there is a severe lack of data and research on the intersection between migration and gender. We address these areas at the Center for Migration, Gender, and Justice by centering migrant communities in our work. It is our #1 principle that gender justice necessitates shared agency, representation, and accountability in protecting human rights for all.”
What are your goals as an association?
“Our goal at the Center for Migration, Gender, and Justice is to ensure gender justice beyond borders by shrinking spaces, figuratively and literally, between migrant communities and governing bodies. We find that the lack of human rights protections at the intersection between migration and gender is the result of discrepancies between migrant experiences and laws/policies that govern migrants. There are persistent mismatches between the needs and challenges of migrants, and laws/policies that govern them. That’s where our work comes in. Shrinking spaces for good! “
Could you describe what your organization does? What kind of concrete actions do you engage in?
“Migrant communities are front and center of our work. We believe that gender justice beyond borders can be achieved through action-driven knowledge and knowledge-driven action that centers migrant communities. This interplay between knowledge and action frames our work: Research, Advocacy, and Education.
In our research, we explore needs and challenges of migrants, and formulate knowledge-driven, action-oriented recommendations for key stakeholders. This includes policy briefs, reports, and our Anti-Migrant Hate Reporting System.
In our advocacy work, we seek to shrink spaces between migrant communities and governing bodies. This includes town-halls, working groups, and position statements.
In our education work, we provide migrant communities, non-state actors, and state actors knowledge around migration and gender. This includes seminars, anti-discrimination and leadership trainings, and our Blog.”
How are you funded?
“As a new organization, we are currently “funded” by our strong belief in gender justice beyond borders. We have applied for several grants and are awaiting positive outcomes. In the meantime, we hope to receive support for our work through partnerships and coalitions. At this point, visibility is key. We ask to share, like, and follow us on social media, tag us on anything related to migration, gender, and human rights, and spread the word about our important work in networks!”
What do you hope to achieve in association with Kota?
“Kota and the Center for Migration, Gender, and Justice share the common goal to achieve gender justice for all. We look forward to sharing resources and networks to put human rights at the intersection of migration and gender at the top of the agenda. We believe in Kota’s mission to incubate collaborative impact and we hope to find a home for our work in Kota’s World Center for Women.”
What do you hope to achieve within next year?
“2020 is our launch year in light of the importance that it carries for gender justice. At Beijing + 25, gender justice beyond borders remains a goal yet to be achieved and we intentionally launched the organization in this context as - we are in this for the long run. We seek to contribute to the Feminist and Women’s Action Plan, UN Decade of Action, UN Agenda 2030, and UN Generation Equality through knowledge-driven action and action-driven knowledge that forms our annual strategy. Our upcoming projects include research and a social media campaign on “Gender, Migration, and COVID-19”, as well as shadow reports for the CEDAW Commission and the UN General Assembly.”
