Do divorces with families from the non-Western countries have a distinctive feature that separates them from ethnic Danish families? It was a wide-ranging debate on this issue that our Association has organized in cooperation with Interkulturelt Kvinderåd (The Intercultural women’s Council) and Dansk Kvindesamfund (The Danish women’s society). Many problems and challenges have been brought up, defining the reasons for the increasing number of divorces. Many issues that our Association can not do much about. State, local authorities, politicians, journalists, researchers, non-governmental organizations, etc. only can in collaboration with each other change the situation.
But there is one thing which we and other women’s associations can take responsibility for, simply by teaching our members- to open their horizons and let them understand how things work. In the debate, it was many times mentioned that ethnic minorities are not always clear about what they are signing for. For example, about child custody, retirement, marriage contract, etc. In our Association we are working on different topics. We, being immigrants ourselves, teach each other. It is not because we do not trust Danes, it is because our Danish friends cannot imagine what is new and incomprehensible to us. They take many things for granted and it is of course natural that they do not know what is hard for us, and what is not. Therefore, we, who have learned how society functions in our new country, should take a responsibility for those who have not gained such an understanding. It is difficult for a variety of reasons. It is about sisterhood, solidarity, compassion and responsibility.
2016-01-29