Ways to overcome barriers to equal access for Muslim women and women of African descent the focus of OSCE/ODIHR workshop

Discrimination preventing Muslim women and women of African descent face from achieving equal access to education and employment was the focus of a workshop organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 15 and 16 June 2015.

Nineteen women, including legal specialists and community leaders, from 11 participating States shared their experiences of discrimination in the workplace and classrooms, as well as their expertise on measures OSCE participating States can take to prevent these human rights abuses.  

"Everyone participating in the workshop has experienced exclusion and discrimination. The women here are in a unique position to identify the causes and mechanisms through which so many of them are excluded from education and work," said Cristina Finch, Head of ODIHR's Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department. "We hope to use their knowledge to develop strategies that help participating States counter discrimination while empowering women and raising awareness of the challenges they face."  

Kahina Rabahi, from the French civil society group Collectif contre l'Islamophobie en France (CCIF), said: “We deal with discrimination on a daily basis in working to change things in our respective countries, using our expertise and experience in opposing discrimination and supporting victims. I believe this workshop is an opportunity to influence policies in addressing the challenges that women face.”

This workshop builds on focus groups and a training-of-trainers event for Muslim women and women of African descent held in 2014, which identified discrimination limiting access to work and education as critical obstacles, and identified strategies for their further engagement.