Gendering the International Asylum and Refugee Debate

Transcription

1 Gendering the International Asylum and Refugee Debate

2 This page intentionally left blank

3 Gendering the International Asylum and Refugee Debate 2nd edition Jane Freedman Professor of Political Science, Université de Paris 8, France

4 Jane Freedman 2015 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 2nd edition All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act First published 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number , of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

5 Contents List of Tables Preface and Acknowledgements vi vii 1 A Gendered Approach to Refugee and Asylum Studies 1 2 Who Are the Refugee Women? 21 3 Gender-Related Persecutions: Why Do Women Flee? 45 4 Gender and Asylum in International Law The Geneva Convention Revisited 69 5 Supporting Women Refugees and Asylum Seekers Asylum Regimes and Their Impacts Women Asylum Seekers and Refugees: Experiences from France New and Ongoing Refugee Crises 197 Conclusion 217 Notes 221 Bibliography 227 Index 245

6 List of Tables 2.1 Asylum claims in the top ten receiving countries in Percentages of male and female principal applicants in EU member states in Breakdown of male and female applicants in the top countries of origin of asylum seekers to the UK in Percentage of women amongst asylum seekers from the top nationalities claiming asylum in France in vi

7 Preface and Acknowledgements In September 2005 I moved with my family from the UK to France, a move which brought with it some degree of upheaval. But the minor inconveniences and difficulties which my family and I experienced moving from one European city to another quickly pale into insignificance when compared with the stories and experiences of those women asylum seekers and refugees whom I interviewed for this research. These women told stories which were very varied, but all had shown enormous courage and persistence to leave their own countries and families and travel to Europe. Sadly, the reception that was waiting for them when they arrived was far from welcoming. This book is inspired by those women and by their stories of determination and courage in the face of great difficulty. I would like to thank them all for taking the time to talk to me and to share their stories which form the basis of the analyses contained within the book. More recently I have also met and talked with women who have been forcibly displaced within their own countries, most notably in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where ongoing conflicts and violence have led to mass displacement. I would also like to thank all of those living in the DRC and neighbouring countries who shared their stories with me. Thanks also to all of those working in NGOs, government offices, international organisations or legal firms, who agreed to spare me some time to talk about their perceptions and experiences of asylum and refugee policies and processes, both in Europe and elsewhere in the world. Without their help this book would not have been possible. I was able to devote time to this research thanks to generous funding from several sources. So I would also like to thank the Mairie de Paris for their research grant allowing me to spend a year at the Sorbonne, and to the European Commission s Marie Curie programme for funding my continued presence in Paris. Thanks also to the Agence National de Recherche who funded the Frontières and GlobalGender programmes of which I have been a part, and which has allowed me both to fund research trips, and to exchange and discuss my findings with colleagues. Both the Fondation du Roi Baudoin and the Observatoire de l Egalite Hommes-Femmes de la Ville de Paris provided funds to support an international conference organised at the Sorbonne in September 2006 on the theme of Gender-Related Persecutions and the Right to Asylum, so I vii

8 viii Preface and Acknowledgements would like to thank them for providing the opportunity for researchers and activists from around the world to talk about these issues. I would not have been able to write this book without the patience and support of my family. Thanks in particular to Stanley Freedman and Donna Hirsh for the interesting discussions about my work, and also for all the time they have spent looking after their grandchildren whilst I was working. And last but not least, thanks to Stuart, Olivia, Juliette and Sophia, and sorry that I ve spent so long in front of my computer instead of with you.