Why Refugee Women?

  

Oxfam UKPP

Refugee Council

Northern Refugee Centre

Women Centre

Bradford Refugee Forum

DEWA Project

Holmewood Ethnic Minorities

Bradford Action for Refugees

City of Sanctuary Bradford

Introduction 

 

Refugee women(1) bring with them a range of skills, knowledge and experience. With different strengths and achievements, women can be seen as providing the foundations of society. As influential leaders within communities and families, the resilience of many women refugees is exceptional. However, refugee women often face particular problems in the UK because of their gender.  

  

‘Why Refugee Women’ highlights some specific needs of refugee women, why services should understand these needs and minimum standards for working with refugee women in the Yorkshire and Humber region. We hope all regions will follow and also draw up minimum standards.

  

 

It has been developed by a partnership of organisations working with refugee women in the Yorkshire and Humber region: Refugee Council, Northern Refugee Centre and WomenCentre.

 

We call on all organisations in the region to sign up to "Why Refugee Women"

 Your signature means a commitment to promoting gender equality, human rights and social justice; meeting our obligations under the gender equality duty.

 

Why Refugee Women?

A woman can flee her country for the same reasons as a man, e.g. political activity and war. Research shows that refugee women also flee their country due to gender related reasons. For example, simply offering food and shelter, or being related to those in flight, may mean women are at risk. In other words they face persecution and violence just for being women.

 

Whether perpetrated in conflict or in peace the root causes of violence against women are deep seated inequalities and discrimination.⁽²⁾ The UN states that although women around the world are the ‘linchpin keeping families, communities and

 nations together’ they continue to face violence and persecution. This includes the use of rape as a weapon of war, domestic violence, so called honour crimes and female genital mutilation. This undermines development as well as generating instability internationally.⁽³⁾

  

Women continue to face many difficult issues once they arrive in the UK. Arrival in the UK does not always signal safety, with refugee women highly likely to belong to one or more of the groups that are at considerable risk of rape in the UK.⁽⁴⁾ Women face

barriers in talking about personal violence they have experienced.

The Yorkshire and Humber refugee integration strategy notes that ‘certain groups of refugees and asylum seekers experience further disadvantage, for example due to their gender…and therefore require specific actions to ensure equality’.⁽⁵⁾ Roughly 40% of refugees in Yorkshire and Humber are women.⁽⁶⁾

  

Minimum Standards for working with Refugee women   Organisations signing up to the following minimum standards for working with refugee women are committing to:   Create an open and safe environment and treat all refugee women with dignity and respect. Ensure all workers are aware of the need for gender sensitivity and implement appropriate practices for achieving this. Understand gender based issues and act appropriately to take account of these. Offer the choice of female workers/interpreters to refugee women wherever possible. Ensure refugee women are routinely supported with childcare during asylum interviews so that they feel able to speak about confidential and sensitive issues. Ensure refugee women are aware of their rights and independence from their partners. Support others in understanding ‘why refugee women?’

Further Aspirations for working with Women Refugees

Organisations will work towards raising standards for women by aiming to achieve the following:

• Provide services to meet women refugee needs regardless of their immigration status.
• Prevent vulnerable refugee women from being wrongfully detained.
• Remove barriers to women’s full participation (including providing women and child friendly spaces).
• Involve refugee women in developing the services provided to them.
• Raise the profile and awareness of women refugee needs within the region.

⁽¹⁾ ‘Refugee women’ in this document refers to all women who are refugees or seeking asylum, including those who have been refused.

⁽²⁾ http://www.unfpa.org/gender/ http://ngocswny.wordpress.com/documents/secretary-general-on-the-elimination-of-violence-against-women/

⁽³⁾ Secretary General on the Elimination of Violence against Women, 23^rd November, 2009.

⁽⁴⁾ Refugee Council (2009) ‘Refugee and Asylum Seeking Women Affected by Rape or Sexual Violence: a Literature Review’

⁽⁵⁾ YHRMP (2009) ‘Finding Sanctuary, Enriching Yorkshire and Humber,’ p.5.

⁽⁶⁾ Estimate from Yorkshire and Humber Regional Migration Partnership