18. December 2006
Statement of City Counsellor Sonja Wehsely on the occasion of the International Migrants Day
"When discussing migration and integration in the public we have to deal with a high level of emotion. As City Councillor for Integration and Women's Issues I aim to de-emotionalize these topics. The social climate, the business location as well as the personal interests of all Austrians, wherever they may have been born, profit from such efforts. The International Labour Organization ILO shows that female migrants have to cope with forced labour, sexual exploitation and poor working conditions more often than their male colleagues. We can find the reasons for that situation in less education, less financial resources, traditional role models, the use of violence and the feminization of poverty. The improvement of the situation of female migrants is one of my most important objectives."