Fast-Tracked Unfairness: Detention and Denial of Women Asylum Seekers in the UK
Detained Fast Track (DFT) is an accelerated procedure for assessing asylum intended for claims by men or women that, according to the UK Border Agency, can be decided “quickly.” It is inherently unsuitable for complex cases—and the cases of both men and women can be complex. Indeed, more men than women are referred into the procedure. However, this report focuses on the use of DFT to process claims by women because claims that involve gender-related issues can be particularly complex, especially when they involve persecution by private individuals and the state’s failure to provide adequate protection, and assessing them fairly can involve practical challenges.
Many women who claim asylum in the UK base the claim on violence and persecution by non-state actors like family members or their husband, which raises immediately the complex issue of lack of state protection. Organizations working with asylum-seeking women report claims because of trafficking for sexual or labor exploitation, forced marriage, forced sterilization, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, threat of “honor” killings and rape. Some estimate that more than half of women applying for asylum are victims of sexual violence.