Khartoum—To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Sudan held a series of events in Khartoum, Gedaref, and Kassala states, celebrating the contribution of migrant women in Sudan.

Every year on 8 March, the world celebrates International Women's Day, honouring the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality and raising awareness on the various issues and challenges faced by women.

Of the tens of millions of refugees and migrants worldwide, a significant proportion are women, with their own unique experiences and stories.

“Women and girls represent a significant proportion of people on the move globally, all of whom carry with them a heart full of hope, a mind filled with ideas and aspirations, and a diverse range of skills and expertise. We honour them today as they work tirelessly to make their voices heard and pave the way towards women’s rights and empowerment,” said Masako Ueda, IOM Sudan’s Migrant Protection and Assistance Programme Coordinator.

Under the theme “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”, the events highlighted the countless contributions migrant women bring to Sudan, as well as provided a space to discuss the unique challenges women face along their migratory journey.

The activities focused on community-based discussions on how to better include migrant women within their communities and how migrant communities can better cater to the challenges voiced by women that are rooted in gender inequality. The events also set recommendations for future actions based on these discussions. 

“We women face many things with great resilience, I know so many women including myself in Sudan who are single mothers, working on a daily to provide for our kids, it is nice to be celebrated on such a day, I also got to know women from different migrant communities, I hope that we are able to establish further networks to better support one another as women in Sudan,” said Abbaba, an Ethiopian migrant woman living in Khartoum.

Around the world, more people are on the move than ever before. Many of them are seeking new opportunities and a better life for themselves and their families. Others are forced to move due to disaster or conflict, and increasingly, climate change. Gender is central to any discussion of the causes and consequences of migration, whether forced, voluntary or somewhere in between.

To address the various needs of migrants of all genders and age groups and ensure the effectiveness of collective efforts in environmental migration, IOM is committed to promote gender-sensitive and human rights-based approaches for migration management, policies and practice in the context of climate change. IOM stands committed in ensuring gender equality and diversity inclusion in the decision-making process and implementation of policies and programmes in all spheres and at all stages of environmental migration.

IOM provides direct assistance to vulnerable migrants transiting through, stranded, or living in Sudan through its Migrant Resource and Response Centre (MRRC/MRCs) in Khartoum, Gedaref and Kassala. Based on their individual needs, migrants have access to medical assistance and psychosocial counselling, among other types of assistance. Filling a critical gap, services provided are either directly at the centre, via mobile outreach, or through referral to partners. In 2021, over 8,429 migrant women and girls were assisted in one of IOM’s three Centres.

For more information, please contact IOM Sudan at IOMSudanmedia@iom.int