Women and Asylum

We believe that women who flee gender-related persecution should be given a fair hearing in the asylum process. We want to see an end to the detention, destitution and forced removal of women fleeing persecution.

Women in the asylum process

Women make up one third of asylum applicants applying in their own right: 5,329 in 2010. Around 75% of asylum applicants have their claim refused in the first instance. While women may claim asylum for the same reasons as men, their experiences of persecution are often different, and women are more likely to flee from gender-specific forms of persecution, such as sexual violence, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, forced prostitution and honour crimes.

 

Women for Refugee Women is particularly concerned that the nature and extent of gender-related persecution is often poorly understood by decision-makers in the Home Office, so women are often unfairly turned down for asylum even when they have fled serious human rights abuses. Following refusal these women may experience destitution, detention, and forced removal.

We believe that positive changes to the asylum process would create greater trust in the system not only among asylum seekers but also among the wider public. We believe it is possible to create an asylum system that treats women seeking sanctuary with dignity, without compromising immigration controls. We believe that refugee women deserve protection when they cross borders to seek safety.

Find out more about Decision making, Detention and Destitution in the asylum process.