Programa Mujer, Salud y Violencia Women, Health and Violence Programme Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) EU-MIA RESEARCH REPORT Francesco Tarantino FIERI January 2014 www.itcilo.org Programa Mujer, Salud y Violencia Women, Health and Violence Programme Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) EU-MIA RESEARCH REPORT Francesco Tarantino FIERI January 2014 The materials in this publication are for information purposes only. While ITCILO, FIERI and COMPAS endeavour to ensure accuracy and completeness of the contents of this publication, the views, findings and content of this discussion paper are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the official position of ITCILO, FIERI and COMPAS. © 2013 International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin (ITCILO) Forum Internazionale ed Europeo di Ricerche sull’Immigrazione (FIERI) Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), University of Oxford This discussion paper is financed by the European Commission and published in the context of the project “An integrated research and cooperative learning project to reinforce integration capacities in European Cities-EU-MIA, EC Agreement Nr HOME/2011/EIFX/CA/1996”. The content of this discussion paper does not reflect the official opinion of the European Commission. Index 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 6 2. Operational Context ................................................................................................. 7 2.1 Key characteristics: demographic mix, socio-economic indicators and main challenges ............. 7 2.2 Policy context: Local policy community and key interventions ........................................... 8 3. The Functioning Practice (FP): Women, Health and Violence – Mujer, Salud y Violencia ........ 11 3.1 Objectives, methodology: an intensive “kitchen work” .................................................. 11 3.2 Partners and network: Módulo AuzoLan and the network of associations ............................. 12 3.3 Chronology and funding of activities ....................................................................... 14 3.4 Outcomes, evaluation ........................................................................................ 17 4. Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 19 Bibliography ................................................................................................................. 20 Annexes ....................................................................................................................... 21 Annex 1 - Interviews. 21 1. Introduction EU-MIA (European Migrant Integration Academy) is a research-based co-operative learning and training initiative targeting and directly involving local stakeholders responsible for the development and implementation of local level integration policies in selected European cities. The project is structured in three phases: 1. Background research, to create a repertoire of promising practices in the field of integration at city and neighbourhood level and selection of 10 Functioning Practices (FP) from throughout the European Union 2. Fieldwork missions in the cities where the selected Functioning Practices are located, based on in-depth interviews with local stakeholders and the production of short videos. 3. Development of a cooperative learning kit based on the research component of this project which forms the basis of the training initiative Migrant Integration Academy. We do not look for perfect models of integration policy which can be adopted wholesale across different city contexts, but we believe there is, across Europe, a wealth of successful initiatives carried out at city level and in partnership with civil society. Starting from this assumption, we define Functioning Practices (FP) not as the best practices on integration in Europe but as practices relating to successful initiatives that make an outstanding contribution to manage issues at hand. The selection of Functioning Practices was based on three tools: • literature review and web browsing; • consultation of experts and city networks; • nominations (including a majority of self-nominations) by local stakeholders through a Call for Practices. These were the criteria used for the selection of Functioning Practices1: a. innovative and successful measures in any fields which have clear goals in terms of integration of people with a migrant background, be they migrant-focused or not; b. measures carried out at local level; c. measures involving public authorities; d. live actions or recently closed actions, i.e. practices concluded within the past two years and consolidated measures that have been implemented for at least two years. The following sections present the Functioning Practice “Women, Health and Violence – Mujer, Salud y Violencia” carried out in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. Empirical findings are based on analysis of official documents, interviews with key actors, stakeholders and beneficiaries. The report is practically oriented given that its aims is to foster exchanges of functioning practices, learning from experience and development of knowledge-based policies: it analyses how the practice concretely works and assesses the 1 For further details see http://www.eu-mia.eu/ 6 main achievements and assets, on one hand, and pitfalls and difficulties, on the other hand. It ends with a look towards future on possible follow up and transfers. 2. Operational Context This section aims to provide an overview over recent patterns of immigration and integration in Bilbao, with particular emphasis on women with migrant background. 2.1 Key characteristics: demographic mix, socio-economic indicators and main challenges Bilbao is the biggest city of the Basque Country Autonomous Community (Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco), capital of the Province of Bizkaia and the tenth largest city in Spain with a population of 349,869 citizens in 2013. Its metropolitan area, called “Greater Bilbao”, is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the north of Spain roughly counting 850,000 people. The Basque Country has traditionally had a strong culture of autonomy and decentralization. In the 19th century, the Bilbao turned into an important industrial pole of the country, especially focusing on the iron, steel and shipbuilding industries. In the 20th century, the industrial growth was accompanied by an important development of commerce and finance, in parallel with a further high increase of population. During the 50’s and the 60’s Bilbao experienced a second phase of industrialisation, based on heavy manufacturing, which led to massive immigration from other Spanish regions. A strong economic and labour crisis affected the Basque Country and city of Bilbao in the 70’s, corresponding with the oil crisis which affected the international economy. The unemployment rate reached the peak of 25% in the middle of the 80’s and the city went through a huge population decline; Bilbao’s population decreased by about 70,000 citizens between 1980 and 1995 (Eustat, 2006). The city regeneration process was complex and involved a wide range of actors and stakeholders. Political leaders at the city, provincial and regional levels realised the importance of a structural change when the crisis was nearing its peak (Rodriguez et al, 2001; Plöger, 2007). The high level of autonomy granted to Basque Country was an important pull factor in the city regeneration process.2 The Territorial Plan for Bilbao, presented in 1989, constituted the main framework for this important process and the role played by “Bilbao Ria 2000” Agency – a development agency created in 1992 with the aim of managing the revitalisation of large old industrial areas – was significant. Fewer funds were invested in the social side of the process, although two other specific agencies were created by the Municipality. 2 The authority to decide on the allocation of resources is a major advantage of the special Basque status compared to other regions. The Basque Country (País Vasco) is the only Spanish Autonomous Community holding the main tax collecting powers. The provincial government then redistributes the taxes. A proportion, the so-called “cupo”, which is annually negotiated, is transferred to the central government in Madrid. Cfr. CASE, 2007. 7 Since 2000 the population of Bilbao has been increasing. This increase is mainly due to a growth in foreign immigration. The year 2000 is considered by researchers and public actors as the starting point of foreign immigration to Bilbao. The foreign population grew from 15,198 people in 1998 to 148,165 people in 2013, with a peak of 151,894 people in 2012. From 2000 to 2012, immigration increased each year, while 2013 was the first year in which a slight decrease was registered (Ikuspegi, 2013).3 Today, the foreign population represents 8.15% of the total and mostly (83.8%) comes from non-EU countries4 49% comes from Latin American, 24% from North and sub-Saharan Africa, 18% from Europe – especially from Romania – and 9% from Asia. About 50% of the foreign population is composed of women, although this percentage is higher for Latin-American immigrants. This rate has particular relevance because the selected functioning practice specifically targets foreign women.5 All ten most-represented nationalities in Bilbao decreased between 2012 and 2013. This means that the decrease of immigrant population is visible