At the end of September, Ana Martiarena, Project Director of the World Women's Observatory (WWO) of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO), actively participated in the 7th Assembly of Red CLAMOR and the 1st MIGRARED meeting in Bogota, Colombia. These events, organised by Caritas Internationalis, SELACC, Red Clamor, CELAM and RAEMH, brought together 102 people from 31 countries, including prominent representatives from organisations such as Coatnet, Caritas Italia, Migration and Trafficking Network Africa and Caritas International from Asia and Oceania and from Latin America.
The aim of MIGRARED is to learn about different regional realities and the situation on the ground, to collect good practices and key messages, and to develop common advocacy strategies for its working groups in order to prepare contributions to global processes on migration and refugees. On this occasion in Bogota, WWO had the opportunity to present the results of two projects it is currently working on in Latin America, both of which focus on migrant women: "Migrant women's access to justice in Mexico" and “Migrant women through Latin American and Caribbean correspondents”. During the meeting, Ana Martiarena, representing the WWO, had the opportunity to speak on two occasions, which allowed the presentation of the first results of these projects.
‘Nothing about migrants without migrants’.
The meeting was particularly notable for the message Pope Francis sent to the participants, where he greeted them, congratulated them and underlined the importance of working with migrants: ‘Today, more than ever, local communities are called to build the future together with migrants, refugees and displaced persons [...] Hope comes from those who are considered by this world to be 'the last'.
One of the phrases that resounded during these days was: ‘Nothing about migrants without migrants’, reminding us that the real protagonists of these stories must always be included in the conversation. Thus, there were several valuable testimonies from migrants during the meeting. During these activities, it was also constantly reminded that ‘’migrating is not a crime‘’.
The participation of so many people coming from different countries made it possible to learn about the realities of people in a situation of having to migrate, as well as the efforts made to work in networks, projects, and good practices. Ana Martiarena emphasised that these meetings open doors for collaboration, underlining ‘the emotion of seeing so many people involved for change’.
The event culminated with the Mass celebrated in the Cathedral of Bogotá on the occasion of the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, reaffirming the conviction that the migrant is a theological place and that God walks with his people. In addition, one of the most powerful experiences was the visit to obras salesianas del Divino Niño Jesús, where significant moments were shared with migrants, mostly Venezuelan families. It was a space to interact and play with migrant families and to learn about the educational and trade initiatives offered to them in the city.
The WUCWO WWO is committed to being part of this international network that deals with migration. The collaboration between the different organisations not only strengthens our efforts, but also offers us the opportunity to work together to prepare for the next Jubilee of Migrants to be celebrated in Rome.
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