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Gender-sensitive asylum systems across Europe

Gender-related asylum claims in Europe

Thousands of people each year flee human rights abuse overseas and seek asylum in Europe.  One third are women. 

Our 2012 research report, published by Asylum Aid and our European partners, looks in detail at the handling of gender-based asylum claims in nine EU member states.  It focuses on the experiences of women across Europe, and the desperate need to ensure that women can claim asylum safely and in dignity.

Gender-related asylum
   claims in Europe

And in 2013, Asylum Aid's Debora Singer joined her French colleague Elodie Soulard at the European Parliament, to present our findings to the European Parliament's influential Committee on Women's Rights

   
Watch Asylum Aid and GenSen at the European Parliament

The research looks at asylum decision-making, procedures, and reception and detention conditions for asylum seekers fleeing gender-related persecution, in nine EU states

  • UK
  • Belgium
  • France
  • Hungary
  • Italy
  • Malta
  • Romania
  • Spain
  • Sweden 

     "Women are not guaranteed anything 
     close to consistent, gender-sensitive
     treatment when they seek protection 
     in Europe.
    
     Legislation and policy too often fails
     to meet acceptable standards, while 
     even gender-sensitive policies are
     not implemented in practice"  
     
                                      - from the report 

The report and executive summary are
the result of the 'Gensen' project, funded by the European Refugee Fund

Asylum Aid and 'Gensen'

The 'GenSen' project builds on many years of Asylum Aid work in Europe. 

Asylum Aid knows all too well that EU member states often interpret the Refugee Convention in ways that do not reflect the experiences of people fleeing gender-related persecution.  While some Governments have introduced specific gender guidelines intended to overcome this, the Women's Project has campaigned for years for member states throughout the European Union to adopt gender guidance and other policies that better protect anyone at risk of gender-based persecution.

In 2007, the Women's Project worked with the European Women's Lobby and jointly published Asylum is not gender neutral - practical advocacy guide for protecting women seeking asylum. This report aims to encourage member states to interpret EU Qualification and Procedures Directives in a gender-sensitive way, through use of the UNHCR gender guidelines.

The UK Government expressed interest in promoting its own gender guidelines across Europe, and in November 2005 it tabled our paper Gender issues in assessing asylum claims: spreading good practice across the European Union at the Intergovernmental Consultations on Asylum, Refugees and Migration Policies held in Geneva.