Summary
WIRL SEMINAR SERIES 2025/26
Refuge in a cold climate: the impact on women
This was the fifth in a series of free online seminars hosted by the Women in Refugee Law (WiRL) network on the theme of “Refuge in a cold climate: the impact on women”. These are public events, ideal for anyone whose work relates to refugee or asylum-claiming women or with an interest in the needs and experiences of refugee women. This series draws on WiRL’s global membership to apply a gendered lens in analysing the impact of increasing hostility to refugees in different states and contexts.
SEMINAR FIVE: PENALTIES AGAINST WOMEN SEEKING (INTERNATIONAL) PROTECTION
States across the world increasingly use various mechanisms designed to limit access to (long-term) international protection. In parallel, women’s citizenship is at risk in many regions of the world, meaning that their access to protection by the State is increasingly under challenge. In this seminar we explored how refugee women experience penalisation through mechanisms such as cessation of refugee protection or the denial of citizenship and how statelessness impacts upon women in particular.
This seminar featured presentations from
NATASHA YACOUB
An international refugee law practitioner and scholar who worked for UNHCR two decades. Natasha teaches international refugee law at the University of London, where she also chairs a Working Group on Feminist Theory and Refugee Law. Natasha spoke about cessation of refugee status and you can view her slides here.
PAULA BANERJEE
A prolific scholar and author particularly known for her work on women in borderlands and forced migration in South and South-East Asia. At present she is the IDRC Endowed Chair on Gender and Forced Displacement and Director of Centre on Gender and Forced Displacement at Asian Institute of Technology. She is the editor of Refugee Watch and the editorial board member of a number of international journals including the Journal of Refugee Studies published by the Oxford University. Paula spoke about statelessness.
CATHERINE BRIDDICK
A scholar of human rights and refugee law and barrister (currently non-practicing), Catherine is Associate Professor of International Human Rights and Refugee Law at Oxford University and a fellow of St Antony’s College. Catherine is a member of the Editorial Board of International Journal of Refugee Law and on the Board of Trustees of Women for Refugee Women. She is also a Research Associate of the Refugee Law Initiative and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Catherine spoke about denial of citizenship and you can view her presentation slides here.
The event was chaired by
CHRISTEL QUERTON
WiRL co-convener and Senior Lecturer in Law, University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol. Christel’s research focuses on international refugee law, particularly persons fleeing armed conflicts and refugee women. Christel previously practised as an asylum, immigration and human rights barrister.
