March 8: the Story of Ambre Laforge, Legal Expert Specializing in Immigration Law and Activist

Contrary to popular belief, migration is strongly female. In 2020, women accounted for 51.6% of European migrants. Yet women newcomers are often overlooked when it comes to drawing up migration policies, and are hardly visible in the public arena or in the media. To mark International Women’s Rights Day, SINGA is giving a voice to women to make their stories visible, so that they can take possession of the public arena and highlight the projects they have launched.

Ambre Laforge is a legal expert specializing in immigration law, a human rights activist and the driving force behind a project aimed at newcomer women.

Can you briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Ambre, I’m 25 and I’ve been back in Bordeaux, my home town, since January 2024 after a year on the other side of the world in New Caledonia. I love sports, music, traveling and, above all, meeting people! I hate injustice and define myself as a feminist, utopian and human rights activist.

What is your background? How did you become familiar with migration issues?

I trained as a lawyer and specialized in immigration law during my studies. I have a passion for working in the field, so I have combined my studies with a commitment to voluntary work.

I first got involved in the issue of female migration with two associations working with unaccompanied minors: les Hébergeurs Solidaires (Bordeaux) and 3amie (Grenoble). In these two associations, I was lucky enough to be the mentor of two young girls from Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. It was then that I was confronted for the first time with gender-based violence in migration.

As part of a legal clinic, I assisted with cases before the Cour Nationale du Droit d’Asile with a lawyer at the Paris Bar. I worked with asylum seekers on their accounts in preparation for the hearing. I discovered many similarities in women’s migratory journeys in relation to their gender.

As part of an end-of-studies placement, I spent several months in Togo, where I was once again confronted with gender-based violence in a cultural context.

At the start of the war in Ukraine, I worked at France Horizon to help Ukrainians who had arrived in Gironde with their legal and administrative formalities.

Since my return to France, I’ve been helping asylum seekers with their legal procedures at a reception center for asylum seekers run by the SOS Solidarités group in Bordeaux.

In your opinion, what are the main difficulties faced by women arriving in France?

Women who have recently arrived in France face a number of difficulties. On the one hand, they are unseen, even though they account for half of all people arriving in France. Secondly, they are stigmatized regarding their reasons for coming to France (family reunification).

What’s more, these women arrive in France in a situation of psychological distress. They have been subjected to gender-based violence in their country of origin, during the migration process, and they suffer the same violence once they arrive in the host country. The same woman may leave her country to flee a forced marriage, then be raped on her migration route before being trapped in a prostitution network in Europe.

All this violence means that these women arrive in France in an extremely vulnerable state. They are often accompanied by children, babies or future babies (sometimes the result of rape on the migration route).

They also feel a great deal of guilt about the family they have left behind, and worry a lot about their children’s future.

In France, newly arrived women can obtain protection status. Once again, it’s a struggle. Gender is not one of the categories eligible for international protection. Certain situations have been deducted, however, and are eligible for protection, such as forced marriage, excision (provided they have a certificate of non-excision) and trafficking in human beings (provided they have left the network and can prove it by denouncing their peers and filing a complaint).

Refugee status (or subsidiary protection) does not take into account gender-based violence in the country (domestic violence, domestic slavery, etc.) and does not take into account the gender-based violence suffered during the migration process.

As a result, many women are left to fend for themselves with no resources. Women with children are not systematically protected. Many women live outdoors with babies. I’ve seen professionals implicitly advise new arrivals to start a family so that they can stand a better chance of staying in France.

The situation is just as horrifying for minors. 95% of unaccompanied minors are boys, and only 5% identified by the national unit are girls. This is partly due to the lack of suitable facilities for young girls and to human trafficking in Europe.

Migrant women and girls are at the crossroads of migratory violence, gender violence and racial violence. In France, migrant women have more difficulty than migrant men in integrating into French society. This is due to the inequalities between men and women that exist in our patriarchal society. Migrant women find it hard to find work that they can combine with having children. They are relegated to domestic or care work. These are precarious employment contracts that prevent them from having a roof over their heads, feeding their families and living with dignity.

In your opinion, how does SINGA promote a change of perspective on migration?

SINGA aims to change the way we look at migration by raising awareness among the general public, giving a voice to the people concerned, organizing events to encourage intercultural encounters and supporting new arrivals in their entrepreneurial projects.

Can you tell us more about the project you are currently running for newcomer women?

I’ve been selected to be part of the class of 2024 at the SINGA incubator in Bordeaux to work on a project for women who have recently arrived in France.

Through this project, I’d like to give these women a voice in order to overcome their invisibility and raise public awareness on the topic of migrant women in France. To do this, with their agreement, I’d like to bring together various life stories to create a collection. The book would be artistic, with portraits, illustrations, poems and anything else the women would like to add. I’d like them to take an active part in the project by sharing what they want: their past, their future, their fears, their joys…

This collection will also help to highlight the associations that play a key role in the lives of these women.

More generally, this project is part of the fight against stereotypes about immigration, with the aim of encouraging a better reception for newcomers in France.

To find out more about SINGA Bordeaux: @singabordeaux

Why do you think it is important to take a gendered approach to migration?

It’s important to have a gendered approach to migration so that we can better understand its outlines. In particular, it would enable us to provide better support for women when they arrive in France and to respond better to their specific needs.

Naming gender-based violence would also make it easier to combat the inequalities and discrimination that result from it. It would help to better identify the consequences and enable better care for women, greater empowerment and better access to their rights.

At SINGA, we work to liberate and highlight the strength and potential of newcomer women. 53% of the people we support are women. By supporting SINGA, you are helping to support and empower hundreds of newcomer women every year, fostering a world where everyone, regardless of gender or background, can flourish and fulfill their dreams!

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Interview as part of SINGA Global’s campaign to raise awareness of International Women’s Rights Day on 8 March 2024.

To learn more about SINGA and support us > https://www.helloasso.com/associations/singa-global