Mind the Gap: Networking and Awareness for Ensuring Rights and Social Inclusion of Ethnic Minorities Women in two Rural Districts of Bac Giang Province

Timeframe: March 2007 – February 2008

Location: Bac Giang Province

For ethnic minority populations, economic gains from recent periods of economic growth have been modest, while socio-economic gaps with the majority of the population are widening. Limited economic and social resources reduce dramatically their power of self-representation, their ability to promote their rights and interests, and their capacity to fully participate in economic and political life. This project contributed to the empowerment of ethnic-minority women in two mountainous districts of Bac Giang Province (Son Dong and Luc Ngan) through self-representation, participation, intercultural understanding, and rights promotion. The project was implemented through a partnership between GVC (Gruppo di Volontariato Civile) Bac Giang Women’s Union, and IOM.

The specific objective was to increase the level of participation in the public life of women belonging to ethnic minority groups by increasing the awareness of their civil rights and roles in society through the organization of women’s “Caravans of Dialogue” in 10 municipalities. Each dealing with specific roles and functions of women in the society and focusing on various issues, such as health, civil rights and participation, the dialogues allowed to women increase their knowledge, exchanged their practical know-how, and reflect on their own and others personal stories.