The APWLD Central Asia (CA) Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) Programme held the 2nd Subregional FPAR training in Almaty, Kazakhstan from 27 February to 4 March 2023. Young women researchers and mentors from five FPAR partner organisations (Ravnie Prava, Human Rights Advocacy Centre, Ghamkhori, Dunyoi Mukhabbat, Women of Agriculture Association, Ferghana Branch) from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were brought together to reflect on their pre-research activities and work with local communities of women migrants to refine their research designs.
The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of the CA FPAR partners in participatory data gathering methods, participatory data analysis, reporting, monitoring, and evaluation within the FPAR research framework and provide an opportunity for the participants to exchange knowledge and experiences with their peers, enabling them to acquire new insights and ideas that would improve their FPAR research outcomes.
The partners also held a solidarity action to express support to and demand freedom and justice for Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino migrant worker who was arrested in Indonesia for unknowingly serving as a drug mule. The action emphasised the importance of addressing issues related to migrant workers’ rights and the need for collective action to bring about change.
Overall, the 2nd FPAR training provided an empowering platform for young women researchers to strengthen their research skills and deepen their knowledge on emerging trends and issues of women migrants on a regional level, while promoting feminist and participatory approaches to knowledge production.
