ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on women asylum seekers. An asylum seeker is someone seeking protection from human rights abuses they sustained in their country of origin. Some forms of persecution are particular, although not exclusive, to women. They include domestic violence, rape, forced marriage, honour crimes and female genital mutilation. The asylum system is one site where intersecting forms of discrimination in women's lives are evident. The women's experiences are marginalised because the Refugee Convention is written from a male perspective. The violence against women (VAW) strategies in the UK has not been extended sufficiently to protect women fleeing from VAW they experienced in their country of origin. The chapter also focuses on the experience of women whilst their asylum claim is being assessed through the refugee status determination process. Women seeking asylum therefore face double discrimination, due to their gender and due to their status as asylum seekers.
