Women and Migration: From exile to rebuilding lives, stories of resilience and personal journeys
By Emma Rushanyan
As part of The World Through Annecy’s Eyes programme, which explores international experiences lived and shared by local residents, a roundtable discussion brought together several women with different migration backgrounds, alongside professionals and representatives of associations committed to supporting people forced to flee their countries, including the association Lake Aid – Every Child Matters.
Introduced and moderated by Sofia El Arabi, a PhD in political, cultural and historical geography and a postdoctoral researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the discussion provided an opportunity to bring together different perspectives and experiences of exile, arrival in France, and the various stages involved in rebuilding a life in a new country.
Leaving, Arriving, Rebuilding
Through the testimonies of Emma Rushanyan, Mariam and Koyane, who came respectively from Armenia, Afghanistan and Guinea, the roundtable placed the voices of the women directly concerned at the heart of the discussion. Their stories explored the reasons behind their departure, the difficulties encountered along their migration journeys, and the first steps towards settling in France.
Arriving in a new country does not necessarily mark the end of hardship. Instead, it opens a new chapter, often characterised by uncertainty, administrative and legal procedures, discovering a different culture, and learning new ways to navigate everyday life. Understanding how institutions work, accessing one’s rights, and finding one’s place in an environment that may be very different from the one left behind all take time and require appropriate support.
Behind administrative procedures lie personal stories, ruptures, hopes and plans for the future. Rebuilding a life is about more than obtaining legal status: it also means regaining stability, rebuilding relationships, developing independence, and being able to look ahead and plan the next stage of one’s journey.
Lake Aid: Supporting journeys and promoting integration
The meeting also highlighted the essential role played by associations in supporting people forced to flee their countries and helping them establish new points of reference in France.
Suzanne Baltazard, president of the Lake Aid association, spoke alongside Talia Martinez Vega, Head of the Children’s Services Department at FOL74, who led the Ambassadors for Equality programme. Their contributions highlighted the commitment of voluntary organisations and professionals to supporting women and families, as well as the importance of the assistance provided throughout their administrative procedures and integration into the local community.
Through its work in Haute-Savoie, Lake Aid helps support people experiencing precarious circumstances after being forced to flee their countries, with particular attention given to children. This commitment reflects a broader aim: to promote access to rights, support integration journeys, and enable everyone to find their place in their new surroundings.
This support is built on listening, availability and the development of trusting relationships. As the women emphasised in their testimonies, the support they receive along the way plays an important role at every stage of rebuilding their lives. For those who must start over far from their country of origin, receiving guidance, assistance and support can help them better cope with difficulties, overcome isolation and gradually regain stability.
Promoting integration also means enabling people to build new relationships, develop their independence and look towards the future. Lake Aid’s work as a voluntary organisation is rooted in this commitment to solidarity and support.
The contribution of Marie Foray, a legal expert, enriched the discussion by providing further insight into the legal and human challenges associated with migration journeys.
Giving people a voice to better understand migration
By bringing together personal testimonies, professional experiences and voluntary sector commitments, the roundtable explored migration beyond statistics and administrative categories. It served as a reminder that every journey is unique and that integration does not follow a single, predetermined path.
The question of what comes after was central to the discussion: How can people rebuild their lives after leaving their country? How can they find their place in a new society? And how can associations, institutions and local residents help make this journey possible?
For Lake Aid, the meeting was also an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of voluntary organisations’ commitment to supporting people forced to flee their countries. Behind every journey lies a unique story, challenges to overcome, but also personal strengths, aspirations and plans for the future. Supporting people along these journeys means helping them gradually find their place and build a future in France.
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