Sep 27, 2007, 15:50 GMT
Vienna - Black European women of African heritage are meeting in the Austrian capital for a three-day congress, hoping to create a forum of exchange and discussion.
The meeting, organized by the International Centre for Black Women's Perspectives (AFRA), brings together 120 delegates from 16 European Union member states, AFRA director Beatrice Achaleke said.
Black European women were in a difficult social situation and wanted mainly one thing: normality, conference organizers said.
A major point was the fight against racism, Achaleke told the daily newspaper Der Standard.
AFRA received a large number of reports of threats against black women, who had little faith in reporting their grievances to the police.
The conference will discuss issues of political participation, qualification and access to the labour market and challenges faced by black children in Europe.
In many cases, the only work avenue open for black women was prostitution, organizers criticized, as access to the job market was made impossible.
Great focus is put on questions of self empowerment as well as psychosocial conflicts affecting black communities.
The congress is held under the auspices of Austria's parliamentary president Barbara Prammer, being a part of this year's European Year of Equal Opportunities for All.
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