Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
Paragraph: 48
Establish a specialist team for women's asylum claims involving sexual and gender-based violence.
Recommendation
The Home Office’s heavy reliance on a single substantive asylum interview disadvantages women with histories of sexual and gender-based violence and abuse. These women will invariably be experiencing the effects of trauma and related mental health issues, with potential effects on memory and their ability to provide a cogent, chronological narrative of what has happened to them. This can unfairly harm their claim. We recommend the Home Office establish a specially trained team to determine the claims of women with histories of sexual and gender-based violence and abuse. It should not rely on a single substantive interview to determine such claims. Women should be afforded sufficient time and space to recount distressing and traumatic experiences in a safe and supportive environment. They should be supported in all aspects of the process by an independent specialist advocate.
Government Response Summary
The government states that its existing “Gender issues in the asylum claim” policy already ensures interviews are responsive to trauma, allows breaks and subsequent interviews where needed, identifies vulnerable claimants, and permits companions in exceptional circumstances. They do not commit to establishing a specially trained team or mandating multiple interviews for all such cases.
Paragraph Reference:
48
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
In relation to the recommendation at paragraph 48, of the 97,390 people who applied for asylum in the year ending June 2023, 75% were male and 25% were female. The “Gender issues in the asylum claim” policy is clear that interviews must be responsive to the possible trauma of claimants and breaks are taken during the interview process if necessary. In some cases a subsequent interview may be required in order to establish trust and obtain all the necessary information; particularly in cases relating to sexual violence or other forms of trauma. We do try to keep interview lengths to a minimum. Where it is clear a positive decision can be made based on the information available, for example provided during the screening interview or via an asylum questionnaire, we may not need to conduct a substantive interview following the initial interview upon arrival. We appreciate that it may be difficult for claimants to disclose sensitive information, however it is essential to gather all information relevant to an asylum claim to ensure accurate decisions are made. If there is a discrepancy between the information someone provides at different stages in the asylum process, we will ask about this. During the asylum decision making process, we ensure that vulnerable claimants are identified and recognise they may face difficulties when disclosing their experience. Claimants can request to bring a friend or companion with them to the interview to provide moral support if there are exceptional circumstances, such as additional vulnerabilities, assuming that it is not otherwise inappropriate for them to attend, for example because they are separately claiming asylum themselves.