The Independent November 15 2017 Independent November 15 2017 | Page 5

The Independent, the Diaspora’s Multicultural Voice November 15 2017 5
The women who fear saying #MeToo
Comment
The revelations that Hollywood producer Har-
vey Weinstein sexually harassed and assaulted
women finally put sexual misconduct and abuse of
power in the media spotlight.
We have known for a long time that violence
against women is endemic and it has much to do with
grants were less likely to contact law enforcement au-
thorities if they were victims of a crime, due to their
status.
A 2010 survey conducted in France, for example,
found that one in three police stations would arrest a
migrant woman and initiate deportation proceedings
inequality and discrimination. While women in all so- if she tried to file a complaint.
particularly vulnerable. That is the case with undoc- victims plays into the hands of their abusers. In their
The laws and policies governing irregular mi- and deportations, the
cial strata face the risk of being victimised, some are
umented women.
The failure to treat undocumented women as
efforts to curb immigration through tougher policing
grants reduce their control over their own lives, deny
authorities simply en-
them public assistance, and isolate them from society.
The consequences of
these
policies
for
women are detrimen-
tal.
able criminals to abuse
undocumented
Michele LeVoy
women
punity.
with
im-
Research by UK-
Take the case of Maria, a domestic worker from based black feminist
the home of a diplomat from the United Arab Emi- found that 92 percent of surveyed women and chil-
the Philippines. She arrived in Germany to work in
rates. She says the Emirati man repeatedly raped her
organisation Imkaan
dren experiencing gender-based violence, who had
and eventually returned to his country, leaving her immigration issues, reported being threatened with
She gave birth to a daughter but the diplomat authors of the report, told the Platform for Interna-
behind, pregnant and undocumented.
deportation by their abuser. Sumanta Roy, one of the
never recognised her as his child, and was never held tional Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
it for fear of being deported. When her daughter pact on women and their ability to leave a violent re-
accountable for the rape because Maria did not report
Hanna was three years old, Maria found out about
one of our member organisations, Agisra, which as-
sisted her in filing a complaint with the police in Ger-
(PICUM) that migration status "has a profound im-
lationship".
Indeed, nothing will change for women until in-
For undocumented women who experience sexual harassment or abuse, speaking up puts them
at risk of arrest or detention
The policy began as a modest initiative in Ams- tain special status in the US if they testify and support
ing trust with local communities was a prerequisite Trump administration's anti-immigration policies
The police organised sessions to inform mem- documented women choosing to endure violence and
ternational human rights frameworks are reflected in terdam in 2013, where the police realised that build- so me limited progress in this direction. to safe neighbourhoods and effective policing. women who experience sexual harassment or abuse based violence exempts undocumented women who bers of local communities about the right to report abuse over reporting it to the police.
their livelihood if they speak up about it. Their the period of criminal proceedings, and provides tims of crimes reporting them. violence. Achieving this requires us to understand
olence shelters. Under the law, undocumented similar conclusion, and have refused to let federal im- tices create vulnerability and increase violence di-
can also apply for a residence status and work per- police and service providers. This means that in these The ongoing #MeToo debate about sexual ha-
many. Maria received legal help and was able to have local practice. In the past few years, there has been
Just like Maria, millions of other undocumented In Spain, legislation enacted in 2009 on gender-
her deportation suspended.
risk getting arrested, being deported and/or losing
abusers are well aware of this fact and exploit it fully,
often intentionally misinforming them about what
may happen if they leave or report an abusive situa-
tion. Few undocumented women like Maria are able
to escape this vicious circle and seek help from the
authorities.
Research carried out by the University of Illinois
in four major urban centres in the United States in
are victims of violence from deportation, at least for crimes in a safe environment, which led to more vic-
them with an immediate right to access domestic vi- A number of cities across the US have come to a
women who were victims of gender-based violence
mit.
In 2016, the Netherlands rolled out a policy
migration authorities outsource their work to local
cities, undocumented migrants can access healthcare,
report crimes and get other services without the risk
called "safe in, safe out", that promotes the ability of of being arrested.
fear of immigration consequences. cluding survivors of gender-based violence, can ob-
all victims of crime to report to the police, without
Undocumented victims of crime and abuse, in-
investigations. Yet, according to recent reports, the
and stance have led to an increasing number of un-
All women and girls deserve to live a life free of
how society's written and unwritten rules and prac-
rected at women.
rassment is indispensable, but it also requires solidar-
ity with all women, regardless of their status.
Michele LeVoy is the Director of the Platform for In-
ternational Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
De Blasio beats Malliotakis in Mayoral race
2013 showed that 70 percent of undocumented mi-
Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the most
vocal critics of Republican President Donald Trump has scored a
decisive victory in the Mayoral elections on Tuesday and secured
a second four-year term in charge of the United States’ biggest city.
De Blasio cruised to his second term in this strongly Democratic
City beating his toughest challenger, Republican state assembly
woman Nicole Malliotakis who had once called him ineffective.
He is the first Democrat to win re-election as New York City Mayor
since Ed Koch 32 years ago.
He attributes his success to efforts to provide universal pre-
kindergarten for 3-year-olds, investments in affordable housing
and efforts to reduce crime and make living in the city affordable
and safe for all residents. He also promised to continue to speak
out for the city’s immigrant and minority communities.
Four years ago, de Blasio, 56, was elected Mayor and emerged
as a national leader in progressive politics. But his administration
often found itself engaged in feuds with Governor Andrew
Cuomo, a fellow democrat, over investigations into campaign
funds and pay-to-play politics.
“Tonight New York City sent a message to the White House as
well,” de Blasio said in his victory speech at the Brooklyn Museum.
“You can’t take on New York values and win Mr. President. If you
turn against the values of your hometown, your hometown will
fight back. And so we have some fights ahead. We will fight, and
we will win. We have so much to be proud of over these last four
years. But we can’t stop now.” His campaign motto, “It’s your
city,” was sometimes geared towards an attack on the president’s
agenda
De Blasio first won election in 2013, when he broke a 20-year
Republican grip on City Hall by running on populist housing pol-
icy and criminal-justice reform. In the run-up to Tuesday, de Bla-
sio’s opponents and the New York media attacked him over a
donor’s claim that he got special treatment. The New York Daily
(PICUM).
New York Minute
with Dr. Susan Gosine-Herrera
New York Mayor Bill De Blasio
News, which endorsed the mayor in 2013, withheld support this
year over his “blinkered, often sanctimonious governance.
“If you don’t like what you see in Washington, send a message
to Washington with your vote on Tuesday,” he had said while
campaigning. “This city has challenged Donald Trump since the
very beginning.
“It’s a good night for progressives. But let’s promise each other:
This is the beginning of a new era of progressive Democratic lead-
ership in New York City for years and years to come.”
With homelessness at near- record levels and the subways
crumbling amid his escalating feud with Governor Cuomo, the
mayor has his work cut out for him in this second term.
Despite pledging “more transparency in government” during
his 2013 campaign, de Blasio was sued by The Post and NY1 to re-
lease his e-mails with political advisers who
he claimed were “agents of the city.” He has since refused to re-
lease records of his telephone calls with Jona S. Rechnitz.
And now he remains hampered by his inability to forge a work-
ing relationship with Cuomo. Many of de Blasio’s plans require
Albany’s approval, and he has had few willing partners in the
Capitol.
He said he would crusade in Albany to make the city’s arcane
property tax system fairer across neighborhoods and would appeal
to Albany to improve the state’s voting system to incr ease partici-
pation by making it easier to register to vote and to vote early.
He wants money from Albany to make free schooling available
to all 3-year-olds. And he wants the state to approve a tax on
wealthy New Yorkers to pay for subway improvements. He is
counting on his decisive victory to propel those changes.
He maintained a low-key, play-it-safe campaign, promising to
continue the work of his first term to address what he has called
the “crisis of affordability.”
And he benefited from national politics, holding himself up as
the city’s bulwark against Mr. Trump, who was roundly rejected
by New York City voters in 2016. He rarely skipped a chance to
point out that Malliotakis voted for Mr. Trump last November.
On a note of urgency, he said: “We’ve got to become a fairer
city and we’ve got to do it soon, we’ve got to do it fast. You saw
some important changes in the last four years, but you ain’t seen
nothing yet.”
In 2013, de Blasio received 795,679 votes, 72 percent of the bal-
lots cast. On Tuesday night with 97 percent of scanners counted,
he had about 706,000 votes.