In 2014 Asylum Aid conducted research on credibility in asylum claims, published in Gender and Refugee Law.
The key reason why women are refused asylum is because they are not believed. The assessment of credibility plays a central role in the determination of an asylum applicant’s needs for international protection.
This is the first comprehensive gender analysis of the asylum system in the UK. It seeks to assess all aspects of claiming asylum in the UK from a gender perspective including decision making, the asylum procedure, and reception and detention conditions. As women have constituted one third of all main asylum applicants since 2003, failing to take into account gender issues can have a significant impacts on the consideration of women's asylum claims and the treatment of women asylum seekers.
When women flee human rights abuses and seek protection in another country, they are dependent on an asylum process that may not take account of their experiences as women. This research, conducted by NatCen Social Research and Asylum Aid, seeks to address the evidence gap in terms of understanding the factors underpinning the overturn of women's asylum refusals on appeal. The study involved interviews with women and a range of stakeholders, including support organisations, legal representatives and First-Tier Tribunal judges. In addition, a range of case files were analysed.
We are the Protection Gap Advocates.
We are women who have been through the asylum system.
We have made a video explaining some things you should know before your asylum interview.
This research project exploire the legal principle of internal relocation and assesses its application and impact on women asylum seekers who have experienced gender based persecution. This report discusses key issues regarding the use and application of internal relocation and women's access to international protection. The research analysed how legal representatives believe internal relocation is being applied to many women's asylum claims.
The analysis hilighted worrying trends that legal representatives identified including:
The research maps the number and profile of stateless persons in the UK and puts a human face on their situation. It also examines the UK’s legal obligations to stateless persons under international law and analyses the impact of current policy and practice. Based on these findings the report makes recommendations for improvement. While the work owes a debt to previous studies, this is the first time that this hidden issue has been subject to such comprehensive quantitative and qualitative research.
A leaflet created by the Protection Gap Advocates for legal representatives.
As Protection Gap Advocates we are a diverse group of women who have all had our own experience of the asylum process.
We want to make a difference for other women seeking asylum and are working to improve the asylum experience for them.
We believe that lawyers can help their women clients by giving them the following information. We are aware many lawyers already do this but we hope this will serve as a helpful reminder.
