ABSTRACT
Drawing on the British experience this chapter examines the impact of contemporary social policies upon women asylum claimants. The Immigration and Asylum Act (1999) radically altered the way in which asylum claimants were treated upon entering the United Kingdom. The Audit Commission (2000) in its report into the dispersal system has highlighted the lack of support for asylum claimants. The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act (2002) introduced assistance measures which have had a profound impact upon the support available to asylum seekers. In every aspect of the asylum process women are marginalised and isolated. It should be made clear that there is no significant difference between the number of 'in-country' asylum claimants being granted refugee status as those who claim asylum 'at port'. At the initial decision making stage the specifically gendered nature of some forms of persecution are ignored by immigration officers, despite detailed guidance from the Immigration Appellate Authority.
