Woman and refugee: the invisible

mjiy1gdf.jpg
PDF version

Refugee women are often absent from political discourse, research and the media. On this March 8, International Women's Day, let's make them visible because the story of women in need of international protection, often different from that of men, deserves to be told. mjiy1gdf.jpg

In 2017, 68.5 million people were forced to leave their homes. We then speak of forced displacement because an element of coercion is at the origin of the migratory movement, due to threats against the life or integrity of the people concerned. Of these people, 40 million are displaced within the borders of their own countries. The others seek refuge abroad and can therefore be qualified as forced migrants. [1]Women migrate on average as much as men. They represent approximately 48% of the 258 million international migrants in the world. The migrant refers to any person who leaves their… Continue reading. There are no less than 25.4 million refugees [2]Refugee status is granted to those who, because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a certain social group or political opinions, etc. Continue reading And 3.1 million asylum seekers worldwide.In 2017, 1 in 2 refugees was a woman. Les femmes constituent donc une part non négligeable des personnes en besoin de protection internationale. Cette réalité varie toutefois en fonction des régions. Les femmes représentent 39% des réfugié·e·s en Europe, 47% en Amérique, 48% au Moyen-Orient, 48% en Asie, et 51% en Afrique. Malgré ces chiffres, les femmes sont souvent absentes des discours politiques et médiatiques, la figure de la personne en recherche de protection internationale étant souvent associée à celle d’un homme.Pourtant, la condition de femme peut aussi bien influencer les motivations de départ de la personne déplacée, son parcours migratoire que le statut qui lui est accordé et l’accueil qui lui est réservé dans le pays de destination. Ne pas reconnaître ces spécificités menace de perpétuer, voire d’exacerber certaines vulnérabilités et discriminations.Cette analyse présente les difficultés spécifiques que rencontrent les personnes s’identifiant comme femmes, qui ont été forcées de quitter leur pays et qui ont introduit une demande de protection internationale en Belgique. Il s’agit toutefois de préciser deux aspects avant de continuer notre propos.D’une part, cette analyse porte exclusivement sur la migration forcée vers la Belgique. Celle-ci ne représente donc qu’une part infime des flux de migration forcée à l’échelle mondiale. Rappelons à ce sujet que Europe (excluding Turkey) only hosts 14% of the world refugee population.D’autre part, cette analyse se limite à considérer les circonstances qui poussent les femmes à quitter leur pays d’origine spécifiquement parce qu’elles sont femmes. Dès lors, nous n’abordons ni les causes qui affectent simultanément les femmes et les hommes ni les difficultés qui leur sont communes. De même, nous nous contentons d’étudier une partie spécifique d’une analyse de genre plus large. Rappelons que le « genre » fait référence de manière plus générale aux relations entre êtres humains basées sur leur identité, leur statut, leurs rôles et leurs responsabilités qui sont définis ou construits socialement ou culturellement. Le genre est ainsi une notion plus étendue qui inclut également les personnes LGBTQ+. Dans le cadre de la présente analyse, nous nous limiterons donc à présenter les spécificités des personnes identifiées comme femmes.Des raisons de départ spécifiques aux femmesLes hommes et les femmes peuvent être forcé·e·s de quitter leur foyer pour les mêmes raisons, que ce soit en raison d’un conflit ou de persécutions. Les femmes avancent cependant parfois également des motifs de fuite qui leur sont spécifiques.Cela inclut d’une part les discriminations structurelles qui amènent à des situations de violence (physiques, sexuelles, psychologiques ou économiques), de menace, de contrainte ou une privation arbitraire de liberté. Sont notamment concernés : les mariages forcés, les mutilations génitales, les violences domestiques, les abus sexuels, les crimes d’honneur, mais également les persécutions envers les militantes défendant le droit des femmes.Cela inclut d’autre part, les violences faites aux femmes en cas de conflit armé, puisqu’elles courent un risque systématiquement plus élevé, notamment en raison de l’utilisation de violences sexuelles comme arme de guerre.Des routes migratoires dangereusesLa réinstallation [3]Resettlement consists of selecting and transferring refugees from a first host country – within which their integration prospects are limited – to a country… Continue reading est l’une des rares voies d’accès légales qui permette aux réfugié·e·s vulnérables de voyager vers un pays sûr sans risquer leur vie. Alors que l’agence des Nations-Unies pour les réfugiés estime qu’environ 1,2 million de personnes ont besoin d’être réinstallées dans le monde, seul un dixième aura une place.En raison de l’absence de voies légales et sûres, de la fermeture des frontières européennes (notamment la route des Balkans et de l’Espagne) et de la signature d’accords de l’Union européenne avec des pays tiers, comme la Turquie ou la Libye, ayant comme objectif d’endiguer la migration vers l’Europe, les personnes migrantes sont contraintes de prendre des routes encore plus dangereuses. Ces routes sont dangereuses pour tout le monde. Elles le sont d’autant plus pour les femmes, surtout celles qui voyagent seules. Ces dernières sont alors plus exposées aux harcèlements, rackets, agressions ou violences sexuelles. According to the United Nations, at least one in five refugees or displaced women have been victims of sexual violence.Les passeur·euse·s ainsi que les autorités peuvent recourir au chantage sexuel. C’est typiquement le cas aux frontières généralement contrôlées par des hommes. On the Moroccan-Spanish border, for example, sexual violence against women is systemic. Cela porte de lourdes conséquences pour les femmes qui outre l’atteinte à leur intégrité physique et psychologique, risquent de tomber enceinte dans un environnement où l’accès aux soins de santé est difficile.De manière générale, les chiffres attestent que women who migrate “irregularly” have a greater risk of death than men. It is specifically drowning which was the main cause of death for migrant women in 2017. The proportion of drowned women is in fact higher than that of men (64 % compared to 42 % of men). There are various reasons for this, including the place assigned to women in boats, the greater likelihood that they cannot swim, the weight of their clothing and the presence of children.De la demande à la reconnaissance de statutEn 2017, the General Commission for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRA) received 19,688 applications for international protection. 36.4% of these requests were submitted by women. This result varies depending on the country of origin. For example, as shown in the graph below, 46% of Syrian asylum seekers are women, and 17% of Afghan asylum seekers.graphic.pngThis lower number can be explained for two reasons. On the one hand, resources (financial, cultural capital, etc.) are on average lower among women, which hinders their ability to undertake a long-distance migratory journey. On the other hand, due to the dangerous nature of the road, it is often the men who leave first in order to request asylum, and then bring their families via family reunification. [4]Family reunification is a procedure which allows members of a family to join the person residing in Belgium. Are considered part of the same family… Continue reading.Durant la procédure, les demandeuses de protection internationale sont assignées à des centres d’accueil collectifs. Toutefois, many do not feel safe there. A study by Vrouwenraad thus highlighted the bad practices of Belgian closed and open centers in terms of inclusion of the gender dimension and the promotion of gender equality in reception policy. This highlighted, among other things, the inadequacy of the psychological assistance offered to women, victims or not of violence, the absence of a support structure in terms of childcare, the inadequacy of the mix of dormitories and sharing of health infrastructure, and the lack of leisure activities or training specifically designed for women [5]Vrouwenraad. Asylum and migration: the reception of women in the centers. Towards a gender-sensitive reception policy. Final report. June 2010..À terme, c’est sur base d’un long entretien que le CGRA déterminera si la personne correspond ou non aux conditions du statut de réfugié ou de protection subsidiaire.
  • Refugee status is granted to anyone who, because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a certain social group or political opinions, risks being persecuted. [6]1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, Article 1.. This definition does not explicitly refer to gender-related persecution. However, it is generally recognized that women belong "to a certain social group", and that the definition of refugee, correctly interpreted, therefore includes gender-related protection requests.
  • Subsidiary protection status is granted to the person who cannot be considered a refugee, and in respect of whom there are serious grounds to believe that, if he were returned to his country of origin or, in the case of a stateless person , in the country in which she had her habitual residence, she would run a real risk of suffering serious harm, and who cannot or, taking into account this risk, is not prepared to avail herself of the protection of that country .
It should be noted that these long interviews at the CGRS require very detailed answers. This can be particularly difficult for women, especially those who experience sexual abuse or other harm involving stigma and community rejection. Furthermore, some women are not aware of the fact that the violence of which they are victims can influence the decision or even that it could lead to recognition of protection.“When I was 15, my father wanted to marry me to an older man from Saudi Arabia. I fled Morocco and arrived in Belgium via Spain. Why Belgium? Because my mother had family there. I'm not sure why my family in Belgium didn't apply for asylum at the time. Do you think I would have been entitled to it? ". Awa (28 years old, Morocco, 10 years in Belgium)Although fewer women apply than men, their protection rate is generally slightly higher (59% applications are accepted against 51% applications for men). In 2013 (latest figures available), 19.8% of all decisions taken by the CGRS related to stories related to gender (in the broad sense, including sexual orientation). More precisely, 8% are decisions related to forced marriage, 5% to female genital mutilation and 3% to sexual violence.En cas de refus de la demande de protection internationale, certaines femmes décident malgré tout de rester sur le territoire belge. Elles se retrouvent alors sans papiers, et donc sans accès à un système de protection, elles sont alors particulièrement vulnérables aux différentes formes d’exploitation, quelles qu’elles soient, en ce compris la traite d’êtres humains [7]Human trafficking is a crime which consists of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person using force, coercion, deception or… Continue reading. Most trafficking victims detected worldwide are women, mainly adult women, but increasingly also girls. The proportion is even greater when trafficking continues for the purposes of sexual exploitation. On the other hand, it is less for exploitation for the purposes of forced labor (only 35% of victims are women).“Of the three days I worked as a cleaner, he only paid me for two. What could I possibly do? ". Awa (28 years old, Morocco, 10 years in Belgium)ConclusionAlors que de nombreuses femmes (et de nombreux hommes) dans le monde ont droit à une protection internationale, les voies légales d’accès à cette protection demeurent toutefois extrêmement limitées. La route migratoire vers la Belgique illustre les énormes risques qu’elles encourent, surtout celles qui voyagent seules. Certains de ces risques demeurent encore sur le sol belge.Ces dangers ne sont pourtant pas inéluctables. La mise en place de voies légales et sûres permettrait de limiter le risque des violences faites aux femmes sur la route. Des procédures d’asile et des structures d’accueil et d’intégration plus attentives aux besoins spécifiques des femmes permettraient d’assurer la protection à laquelle elles ont droit.La visibilité des femmes ne dépend finalement pas de leur présence mais bien du regard que l’on porte sur elles. Leur rendre cette visibilité permettrait aussi d’assurer qu’elles soient protégées, et qu’ainsi leur soit donnée la possibilité de développer leur potentiel et, donc, de se réaliser.“I stopped my studies when I left Morocco. I was a good student back then but I never started studying again. How do I earn my living now? What do you think ? I do the cleaning obviously. » Awa (28 years old, Morocco, 10 years in Belgium) Agathe Smyth with the Caritas International association

Attachments

Woman and refugee the invisible

Notes

Notes
↑1Women migrate on average as much as men. They represent approximately 48% of the 258 million international migrants in the world. The migrant refers to any person who leaves their place of residence and crosses a border in order to settle there.
↑2Refugee status is granted to those who, because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a certain social group or political opinions, risk being persecuted. An asylum seeker, or international protection applicant according to the new Belgian terminology, is a person who has submitted a request for protection and is awaiting status determination.
↑3Resettlement consists of selecting and transferring refugees from a first host country – within which their integration prospects are limited – to a third country.
↑4Family reunification is a procedure which allows members of a family to join the person residing in Belgium. Only the official spouse and minor children are considered to be part of the same family. The residence permit of people who join the resident via family reunification depends on living together for at least five years. This situation can create administrative dependence which forces the person to stay with their spouse even in the event of marital difficulties, and potentially be the source of blackmail within the family circle.
↑5Vrouwenraad. Asylum and migration: the reception of women in the centers. Towards a gender-sensitive reception policy. Final report. June 2010.
↑61951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, Article 1.
↑7Human trafficking is a crime which consists of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person by use of force, coercion, deception or other means, with the aim of exploiting them. Exploitation may be sexual, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or organ harvesting. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Print
E-mail

In the news

Stay informed

Subscribe to our online newsletter and receive complete monthly information.

Register

Get involved with us!

I'm in

Our queer news in your inbox?

Complete this form to be kept up to date with our educational news (training, educational tools, etc.)

Firstname name
Je souhaite m'inscrire à la newsletter "Pédagogie" de Justice & Paix