Recognising Refugee Women as Experts: RAB Germany at DEPENDENCY TALKSHOP in Bonn 

Zohra Wandaa recently participated as a panellist in the first event of the new DEPENDENCY TALKSHOP Series, titled “Overcoming Violence: Coping Strategies and Support for Refugee Women”. The event was organised by the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) in cooperation with bicc – Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies and Volkshochschule Bonn. 

The discussion addressed how refugee women experience intersecting forms of dependency and violence throughout displacement and in host countries. It also highlighted strategies to strengthen empowerment, access to support systems and more inclusive responses to gender-based violence. 

In her contribution, Zohra Wandaa emphasised that violence against refugee women cannot be understood separately from the broader realities of displacement, structural barriers and unequal access to protection. The exchange underlined the importance of recognising refugee women not as a challenge to be managed, but as experts, leaders and contributors whose knowledge and experiences are essential to developing sustainable solutions. 

RAB Germany thanks the organisers and participants for creating space for dialogue, shared expertise and a more nuanced conversation on violence, support and empowerment for refugee women.