Summary
WORKSHOP: ‘GENDER SENSITIVITY IN ASYLUM INTERVIEWS’
Wednesday 30 April 2025 09:30-11:30am (BST) | 08:30- 10:30am (UTC)
We are pleased to invite WiRL Members to this participatory online workshop in which experts from academia and the field will share knowledge and provide guidance based on their own experience as the basis for interactive work with participants. See full agenda here.
Research and experience show that gender-sensitive asylum interviewing is critical for women and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) to feel able to give a full account of the reasons for their claim. Without this, there is a risk of poor communication, re-traumatisation, misunderstanding, failure to collect relevant evidence and – consequently – an unfair decision. Due to limited guidance[1] and failure to implement existing guidance, evidence suggests that many claimants do not have a good experience at their interview.[2]
Facilitators: Giulia Cragnolini, Independent Expert on migration and asylum; Devika Kapoor, Trainer and Coordinator at Amna; Lore Roels, PhD Candidate on misconceptions in gender-related asylum and non-refoulement procedures; Jasmin Lilian Diab, scholar and expert on migration, gender and conflict studies. Full biographies included on the agenda.
Participants: This workshop is for advocates and caseworkers who work with asylum-seeking and refugee women and survivors of GBV, women with lived experience of the asylum interview process, researchers, decision-makers and campaigners.
Follow-up: This is a closed workshop for a limited number of participants, however materials from the event will be published on the WiRL website after the event.
If you are already a WiRL member, to register your interest in the workshop please email WiRL ([email protected]) before 7th April including:
- Your name
- Contact email
- Job role and organisation (if you wish)
- Any access requirements
- Please state briefly in one or two sentences why you are interested in participating and how you or your organisation will benefit from taking part
This is an event for WiRL members and spaces are limited so please only register your interest if you are sure you plan to attend. We will get back to you after the closing date to confirm places.
If you are not yet a WiRL member and would like to find out more about becoming one so you can participate in this workshop please also email [email protected]
[1] Hungarian Helsinki Committee. (2015) Credibility Assessment in Asylum Procedures – A Multidisciplinary Training Manual, Vol 2; UNHCR. (2005) Ensuring Gender Sensitivity in the Context of Refugee Status Determination and Resettlement. Module 2 (Resource Package) https://www.refworld.org/reference/manuals/unhcr/2005/en/40043.
[2] Bögner, D., Brewin, C., & Herlihy, J. (2010). Refugees’ Experiences of Home Office Interviews: A Qualitative Study on the Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36(3), 519–535.
