10/10/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
Kaos GL’s Refugee Rights Programme held a Capacity Building Workshop for Refugee Rights Workers on 3-4 October.
Kaos GL’s Refugee Rights Program held a two-day Capacity Building Workshop on October 3-4, 2024, focusing on sexual orientation, gender identity, and the unique challenges faced by LGBTI+ refugees. The event aimed to equip professionals working in refugee rights with tools to combat discrimination and promote inclusive social services. The workshop began with a presentation by Social Psychologist Sengül Kılınç, who discussed the cognitive mechanisms behind discrimination and highlighted strategies to fight it. Social Worker Koray Arkadaş followed with a critique of the binary gender system, explaining that rigid gender norms exclude many identities. He emphasized that gender is not a fixed identity, and the binary gender system imposes harmful, unrealistic expectations.
Kaos GL’s Defne Işık spoke about the importance of avoiding heteronormative assumptions in social work, ensuring LGBTI+ individuals feel safe to express themselves. Elif Topçu from the 17 Mayıs Association addressed the challenges faced by refugee sex workers, stressing the need for social workers to offer legal, psychological, and healthcare support. Academic and Social Worker Avşin Akbaş discussed the stigma faced by people living with HIV, noting the need for social workers to address their rights and well-being beyond medical care. Psychologist Serhat Macit explored the mental health issues LGBTI+ refugees experience, highlighting trauma and the need for supportive policies.
Koray Arkadaş also provided insights into the rights of LGBTI+ refugees under international protection, addressing access to healthcare, employment, and social services.
The two-day workshop concluded with forum discussions and group activities.
Tags: human rights
