ImageThe MiRA Resource Centre for Immigrant and Refugee Women aims to promote gender and racial equality for ethnic minority women in Norway. Our goal is to increase awareness of the specific conditions that often determine the life quality of minority women.

The MiRA Centres work is  based on  the ideals of equality, specifically the promotion of equal opportunities for all regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, culture and sexual orientation. This applies especially to racially-based gender discrimination; while ethnically Norwegian women’s rights are protected under the equality law, the same rights of minority women are not included under this law. Their lives are determined by the Immigration Law or the current immigration policies. The reality for many ethnic minority women is that their participation in the public sphere is not only limited by their gender, but also by their ethnic and religious background. In other words, they experience ethnic, religious and racial gender discrimination. It has been vital to the women’s rights movement that minority women have the opportunity to share their experiences of discrimination – specifically their struggles in the labour market, housing market and other obstacles they encounter within the larger community.

An important part of The MiRA Centres work is to expand the concept of gender equality to also include a minority woman’s reality and experiences. We focus a great deal of attention on information gathering and sharing – through publications, legal hearings, networks, meetings, conferences and lectures. At the same time, we encourage minority women and young girls to improve their own situations using a variety of empowerment-centred activities.

The MiRA Centre is a resource centre with expertise on issues related to migration, racism, gender and minority women. The centre offers training, courses, seminars and consulting services as well as lectures to interested individuals, institutions and organizations. If you would like to know more about our services, you can contact us by clicking here >>