Haynes, ‘Safe Third Country Agreement: Closing the Doors on Refugee Women Seeking Protection’, 2014

Haynes, Janet M. “Safe Third Country Agreement: Closing the Doors on Refugee Women Seeking Protection.” Families in Society 95, no. 2 (2014): 140-148.

Abstract

This article examines the shortcomings of the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States in protecting refugee women from rape, torture, and domestic violence. It also outlines efforts that benefit all refugee women, particularly women of color seeking protection in Canada and the United States. The article concludes that social workers, lawyers, medical and health care workers, nongovernmental organizations, and immigration advocates should collectively lobby to change the existing refugee processes that disqualify and refuse protection to bona fide refugee women of color. The recommendations involve convening a standing committee to review decisions that deny protection to refugee women survivors of violence. Also, social work research on the determination process can identify how legal and cultural representation can benefit refugee women.