Summary
Many refugee and asylum-seeker women and girls who came to
Europe in recent years have been exposed to gender-based violence
taking the form of coercion, survival sex, sexual slavery, forced
prostitution, domestic violence, harassment or extortion. In transit
and upon arrival, they face common problems, such as the lack of safety,
the absence of separate bathrooms, little information on assistance
services available, the absence of female interpreters and in general
a lack of general and post-trauma medical care.
The protection of refugee women from violence has however
not been considered a priority in the management of the refugee
crisis and the overall gender dimension has been largely overlooked
in the response. The provision of protection from gender-based violence
to all women, irrespective of their status and of where the violence
occurred, should be made a priority, in line with the provisions
of the Istanbul Convention, which should be ratified and implemented
without further delay.
Council of Europe member States should take concrete measures
to ensure the protection of refugee women from violence, by for
example providing separate secure sleeping areas and well-lit bathrooms
reserved for women in transit and reception facilities, creating
safe spaces, ensuring the presence of a sufficient number of female
staff members among security personnel and social workers, as well
as providing information on rights and assistance services in an
understandable language. Specific training on detecting and preventing
gender-based violence for staff working in transit and reception
facilities, including guards, should also be provided. Resettlement
and relocation programmes, which represent the safest way for asylum
seekers and refugees to come to Europe, also need to be supported.
