Summary
Diritto Internazionale ed Europeo delle Migrazioni e dell’Asilo (DIEMA)
Gruppo di Interesse Tematico della Società italiana di Diritto internazionale e di Diritto dell’Unione europea (SIDI)
CALL FOR PAPERS
“GENDER-RELATED VULNERABILITIES: NEW CHALLENGES FOR THE PROTECTION OF MIGRANTS AND ASYLUM SEEKERS”
The Interest Group on “International and European Law on Migration and Asylum” (DIEMA) of the Italian Society of International and European Union Law (SIDI) is pleased to launch a call for papers on “Gender-related Vulnerabilities: New Challenges for the Protection of Migrants and Asylum Seekers”.
This initiative intends to cover a wide range of issues concerning gender-related migration, including the reasons that lead individuals to leave their country of origin, the heightened risks they encounter during their journey, and the need for specific protection upon arrival.
Although the notion of “refugee” under Article 1(A)(2) of the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is formally gender-neutral, it was originally shaped by the so-called male paradigm. Consequently, it was initially applied and interpreted through a predominantly male perspective, resulting in unequal access to asylum for women, girls and LGBTQIA+ applicants. However, for some time now, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has affirmed that a correct interpretation of the Convention requires gender to be taken into account in applications for international protection, and that the current wording of the Convention already encompasses gender-related claims (UNHCR, Guidelines on International Protection: Gender-Related Persecution within the Context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/GIP/02/01, 7 May 2002).
Similarly, the Common European Asylum System developed by the European Union (EU) expressly includes gender-sensitive provisions in both in the qualification
and asylum procedures regulations, and in the legislation on reception conditions. Furthermore, the Court of Justice’s interpretive and creative case-law has played a pivotal role in promoting a gender-sensitive approach to EU asylum law, highlighting the complexity of gender-based forms of persecution.
Nevertheless, despite these legal and jurisprudential developments, significant obstacles remain in correctly assessing gender-related individual circumstances, particularly when procedures are accelerated or when the applicants are kept in detention, i.e. in situations that do not facilitate the free expression. In such settings, the immediate identification and response to vulnerabilities is often compromised.
However, the call is not limited to issues relating to international protection obligations. The gender dimension shall also be considered within the broader context of protecting the human rights of migrants. The Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women is clear: migration and asylum are both covered under the same heading. In fact, Article 59 specifically provides for the recognition of an autonomous residence permit for women victims of violence, no matter what type of migration they are involved in.
Beyond issues of violence and severe vulnerabilities, attention must also be paid to all forms of de facto discrimination stemming from inappropriate application of formally neutral norms. Consider, for instance, legislation on family reunification or access to citizenship. A comprehensive analysis of these issues is needed to take into account State obligations under international human rights law, first and foremost the European Convention on Human Rights and the related case law.
Given the complexity of the framework, the ongoing challenges and the multidisciplinary nature of the topic, this call for papers invites scholars of all legal disciplines to contribute to the scientific debate in this area.
Terms, rules for submitting proposals and selecting results:
Abstracts in Italian, English, French or Spanish must be sent to [email protected] by 15 December 2025.
The abstracts must be sent together with the following references:
– Name, surname and affiliation of the applicant;
– Phone number and email address;
– Curriculum vitae et studiorum, including a list of the main publications.
Abstracts will be selected by the Coordinating Committee of the DIEMA Group, comprising Francesca De Vittor (Catholic University of Milan), Adele Del Guercio (University of Naples L’Orientale), Anna Iermano (University of Salerno), Martina Sardo (University of Bern), Sara Tonolo (University of Padua), and Daniela Vitiello (University of Tuscia).
If deemed suitable for publication, the final papers must be drafted according to the editorial criteria available here and sent not later than 7 February 2025. They will be published in the Class A Journal “Freedom, Security and Justice: European Legal Studies” (n. 1/2026), in a focus on “Gender-Related Vulnerabilities: New Challenges for the Protection of Migrants and Asylum Seekers”, provided the blind peer review is successful.
For information on the selection process, please email [email protected]
