New guide from CRWI Diotima: Practical guide on asylum procedures for women in Greece – definition of key terms, procedures and rights of asylum seekers and recognized refugees
This practical Guide has been prepared in an effort to further enhance the response capacity of public officials and State agencies towards gender-based violence (GBV) among refugee populations.
Newcomers are often survivors of unusual forms of GBV (traditional harmful practices, like female gender mutilation [FGM] and honor crimes, forced and early marriage, rape, and sexual harassment both during their journey and stay in temporary accommodation structures).
Building a better response to their needs, while taking into considerations the particularities of their refugee status and the process of asylum, is an essential part of the Protection response.
The aim of this Guide is to not only provide State agents with the necessary legal knowledge and tools for a more effective case management, (incl. PSS and legal counseling) but most crucially, to sensitize and contribute to a better understanding of the position of the “woman refugee” that they are going to refer or who will be referred to them.
It is only with this new awareness and taking into account also the legal parameters that the strategy plan for case management developed together with the GBV survivor can be effective.
The purpose however of the Guide is not to provide public agents with legal expertise in order to be in the position to provide legal information, as that can only be provided by specialized legal professionals in terms of a refugee’s legal case management.
