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The Vulnerability of Women With No Recourse to Public Funds, Sexual Violence and Exploitation
We live in a country that speaks so much of being tolerant, inclusive, and welcoming but this does not always match up with what is happening on the ground.
There are women in Scotland who have fled all sorts of dangers who are navigating life in this country whilst struggling with the traumas associated to being trafficked for sex, being subjected to marital rape, the victimhood of war related rape and sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence. The harsh reality is that immigration policy dictates that many of these women do not qualify to stay in women’s refuges or temporary accommodation.
Most of us assume that women’s organisations would be able to support us should we need it. Yet, people working in these organisations know that harsh immigration policy means that not everyone is able to access support. What do I mean by that? Not having the “correct” immigration status impacts on the kind of help available.
The Nationality and Borders Bill Threatens The Safety and Rights of Already Marginalised Women
The hostile environment policies of Westminster are designed to do exactly what they say on the tin; create such dangerous and inhumane conditions that migrants who are here feel pushed to leave and individuals fleeing abuse, conflict and persecution seek their right to asylum elsewhere. Repeatedly, these policies have been found to breach human and legal rights.
There is already overwhelming evidence that illustrates the barriers created by these policies for migrant women who have experience domestic abuse, rape or sexual assault. These policies create conditions where many migrant women feel even more trapped in their circumstances and unable to access support. Thankfully, many organisations, in particular those focused on racially minoritised women, have repeatedly gone above and beyond to provide access to support for women experiencing these migration conditions.
The Nationality and Borders Bill (currently being debated in the House of Lords) takes the current hostile environment policies to a whole new level, allowing unprecedented power to the Home Office and embedding bigotry into law. The UNHRC has given a damning response to the proposed asylum processes, stating; “UNHCR believes the UK’s Nationality and Borders Bill would penalise most refugees seeking asylum in the country, creating an asylum model that undermines established international refugee protection rules and practices.”
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