Janainas at the Alliance Talk: Migrant Voices for Social Justice

by Joanna Fatorelli

On April 10, 2025, we took part in the Alliance Talk: Protecting Civil Society and Activists, held in Berlin and hosted by DaMigra and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The gathering brought together migrant activists, grassroots organizations, and policy representatives to reflect on the growing restrictions on civic space and to envision collective strategies for resistance and care.

Representing Janainas e.V., our colleague Joanna Fatorelli contributed as a guest speaker in the working group on social injustice and economic participation, alongside Nimo Mahdi (Nura Leipzig e.V.).

We brought into focus the structural effects of migration on women from the Global South — including institutional racism, non-recognition of professional experience, linguistic exclusion, and social invisibility. We also shared some of our practices: women’s circles, storytelling, non-judgmental listening, and reclaiming forgotten knowledge as tools of empowerment and healing.

A key point raised was the underutilization of migrant women’s competencies: nurses, artists, teachers, and journalists who are now pushed into precarious labor — often without any recognition of their histories, diplomas, or skills.

In the context of severe budget cuts across the social sector, we also shared that Frauenpower in Mitte, funded by the Berlin Senate Department, is currently our only financed program. This highlights the urgency of building strong alliances and listening to each other across migrant-led spaces.

To step into visibility is an act of resistance.

Together, we continue to multiply pathways.