EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN 2001 FOR WOMEN ASYLUM SEEKERS

EWL STATEMENT

"We, women of Europe, in solidarity with other women of the world, demand that the EU takes the leadership in developing a European Policy on Asylum, in which women asylum seekers can find protection and safety in all the EU Member States, for the torture and persecution they experience, simply because they are women." Denise Fuchs, EWL President

The European Women's Lobby has ran a year-long campaign to highlight the forms of persecution that are unique to women and which require recognition in law: female genital mutilation; forced marriages; the stoning to death for presumed adultery and guilt by association, to name just a few.

All of the EU Member States have ratified the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the follow-up Protocol of 1967, which provide the legal basis for granting asylum. However, 50 years later, the five reasons for persecution enumerated in the Convention (political opinions, religion, race, nationality and membership of a particular social group) are not evaluated to assess women's experience of persecution to include gender-specific acts. For far too long, tradition and culture have been used to justify and excuse practices, which have shattered the integrity of women and girls. FGM is, in some countries, carried out on newly born infant girls in their first days of life. In some countries women are stoned to death for presumed adultery; communities put pressure to "save the honour" of the family by killing the guilty members, the less valued ones, i.e. the women.

Through this Campaign, the EWL collected thousands of signatures from people across Europe and from other regions of the world, calling on the Member States and the European institutions to mainstream gender into asylum policies at all levels and to recognise the specific forms of gender persecution as legitimate grounds for granting asylum in all of the EU Member States.

The Campaign comes to an end marked by a closing event on the 15th of December in Brussels and the handover to the Belgian Presidency of the signed petition. At this occasion, the EWL reiterates its demands for a gender sensitive European Asylum policy and makes the following recommendations:


Gender guidelines for the determination of asylum claims:

• The adoption of gender guidelines for the determination of asylum claims & in procedures for the granting of asylum in Member States.
  
  Reasons for persecution:
  
• The recognition of specific forms of gender persecution as legitimate grounds for granting asylum in all of the EU Member States
  
  Asylum procedures & reception:
  
• The full integration of a gender dimension within the asylum procedures, such as qualified trained female interviewers and interpreters, confidentiality in the interviewing process, non-confrontational interviews with open questions allowing for the experiences of women's persecution to be told in confidence.
  
• The adoption of measures ensuring the physical safety and privacy of women asylum seekers in reception and detention centres
  
• The access to specific services responding to women's health needs.
  
• The access to legal advice and representation, including the right to contact women's NGOs and/or NGOs operating in the field of asylum.
  
  Durable solutions:
  
• The granting of work permit to women asylum seekers awaiting outcome of the decision of their asylum claim.
  
• The adoption of measures encouraging the development of skills and qualifications of women asylum seekers during the asylum process, which will facilitate their independence and subsequent integration in the host country if their claim is successful, or their re-integration in their country of origin if their asylum claim is rejected.
  
• The adoption of measures encouraging the integration of refugee women into the host country, in particular by providing language courses and awareness of the culture of the host country, by setting up support centres which offer free legal aid and health care, in the language of the women and by making good quality and affordable childcare services accessible to them.
  
• The integration of women asylum seekers and women refugees concerns and needs within the implementation of the Programme of action adopted by the World Conference Against Racism (Durban September 2001), in particular the provisions on refugees.
  
• The use of sex disaggregated data and gender-specific indicators at all levels in studies and policy measures on the issue of asylum.
  
  Co-operation with women refugees:
  
• In some countries women refugees have set up their own support groups and/or NGOs. Their input should be considered a valuable resource in the drawing up, implementation and monitoring of policies and measures on refugee/asylum issues.
  
  Cooperation with NGOs:
  
• The consultation of NGOs operating in the field of asylum in the drafting and implementation of asylum measures.
  
• The funding and support of community NGOs, national women's NGOs, minority ethnic groups as well as advocacy groups for political actions on the issue.
  
  Public hearing:
  
• The organisation in 2002 of a public hearing in the European Parliament on the situation of women asylum seekers, which will bring together women refugees, experts, NGOs representatives and EU leaders responsible for asylum issues, in order to explore ways of improving the situation of women asylum seekers, promoting their human rights in Europe and contributing to the ongoing debate on an EU common asylum system.

Brussels, 15 December 2001