How to raise awareness on the topic of migrant women media literacy?

On October 18^th and 19^th 2018, the second meeting of MedLIT project took place at CESIE office in Palermo (Italy). The meeting aimed to discuss and improve the development of the project’s IOs, including feedbacks collected during the research phase at the beginning of the year. Indeed, the MedLIT aims to develop innovative tools to increase media and digital competences of low skilled/low qualifies refugee, asylum seekers and migrant women living in six different European countries.

Focusing on local needs and challenges of these women living in UK, Italy, Austria, Malta, Greece and Ireland, the partnership shared the opinions acquired during the MedLIT focus groups in January where around 40 women took part on the research of learning gaps in media and digital literacy. In the study developed in the first months of the project, the situation highlighted in each country registered a high percentage of disadvantages connected to lacks of competences of migrant women.

The partnership also discussed on the development and finalization of the main results of the project: the digital tool that will be tested since February 2019, and the implementation of the awareness-raising campaigns who will involve a group of migrant women to become ambassador of best practices and to motive the migrant community to improve their digital and media skills. IO2 and IO3 will be uploaded and available as open resource on the official project website.

Furthermore, CESIE organized in the afternoon of October 18^th 2018 a joint meeting among MedLIT partners, foreign students and a local organization, Women of Benin City (Donne di Benin City). The association is composed of women from Nigeria, ex-victims of the human trafficking who have decided to lead a new life. During the meeting, Osas Egbon, the president of the association, explained the reasons on the ground of the human trafficking, in particular from Nigeria, and the condition of life in which many young women living in Palermo and in Italy. Osas also explained the difficulties, the obstacles and the challenges who faces the association every day to help these girls to escape from sexual slavery and prostitution, recovering their dignity and autonomy in their personal and professional life. Women of Benin City collaborated in the research phase of the MedLIT project, allowing CESIE to better understand concrete needs and wishes of the migrant women in Palermo. The meeting contributed to create a positive environment and new perspectives among partners who are more motivated to improve and develop important tools for these women.