The other half of the world is female. In the Sicilian capital alone, almost 13,000 women with foreign citizenship live, coming from 115 different destinations. But how does this other half of human beings live?
The other half of the world is female. In the Sicilian capital alone, almost 13,000 women with foreign citizenship live, coming from 115 different destinations. But how does this other half of human beings live?
by Patrizia Romano
In the varied and colorful intercultural mosaic that has been present on our island for decades, women represent a numerically very strong presence. In the Sicilian capital alone, almost 13,000 women with foreign citizenship live, coming from 115 different destinations.
Women, with their massive presence, represent almost two thirds of all immigrants present in Sicily. In the space of a couple of years, they have gone from 43 to over 49 percent. We can say with certainty that women have grown more than men.
The largest number of foreign women come from Rumania and represent 17 percent of all foreign women. They are followed by Sri Lankan citizens with a representation of around 14 percent. Then there are Bangladesh, with 12 percent, Ghana and Philippines, which are around 14 percent, and Mauritania with 5 percent. These are followed by Tunisians, Chinese and Moroccans, who account for around 4 percent of the foreign female presence.
As in all the world's realities, it is women who now guarantee the largest share of family care work, in an area that is chronically lacking in social policies for minors and the elderly. The work they do, however, changes in this area.
The already very complex relationship between the reality of migration and the rhetoric of integration takes on a more ostentatious character when it comes to women. In fact, female migration carries with it a series of particular characteristics that distinguish each stage of the migratory journey. Moreover, the discriminatory mechanisms that affect all migrants from the most populous countries are driven by precise gender factors.
However, immigrant women represent a strong and incisive reality in the impact of treatment which, in recent years, has spontaneously increased the number of people who have been kidnapped, raped, bought, sold and turned into prostitutes.
Women, among these many minorities, are the most vulnerable subjects. According to data reported by the IOM, the International Organization for Migration, in all of Europe, 85 percent of people are victims of trafficking. Of these, 68 percent are women and 12 percent are children and teenagers. According to the Organization's data, in recent years there has been a sharp increase in the phenomenon, especially in the area of prostitution, which particularly involves Nigerian women, who have arrived in Italy with the precise aim of becoming the object of sexual exploitation. Foreign women are not only abused and mistreated, but also the most fragile subjects. It's enough to think that, simply put, 12,745 women are helped by charitable organizations, which is just over 48.4 percent of the total number of users. Foreign women tend to be younger, and one in four is a minor. In particular, in the Sicilian chapel, the women helped by the charitable organizations are about 5,800, equal to 43.7 percent of the total number of users. In general, these are younger women: less than one in four among Italians and almost one in three among foreigners.
But the role of women is essential, above all, in providing a fundamental point of view for understanding community dynamics. Their intercultural practices have a direct impact on the labor market, school, family and society as a whole.
Women represent that half of the world that carries forward ideas, projects and goals.
Source: http://www.inchiestasicilia.com/2017/03/08/immigrazione-femminile-laltra-meta-del-mondo/ 08.03.2017