The article provides a comparative analysis
of the asylum laws in the US and in the UK
with regards to women who have been subject
to female genital mutilation (FGM). The
author argues that refugee status for these
women depends on whether or not they are
determined to belong to a "particular social
group". The author finds that this
requirement is more narrowly defined in the
UK than in the US, leading to the US having
more lenient refugee determinations. This
article contains five sections: Part I
discusses current asylum laws in both