The International Protection of Women Refugees: A Summary of Principal Problems and Issues

This paper examines the grounds for obtaining refugee status, the main problems faced by women, and discrimination as a protection concern. Although the 'social group' component can be advanced to include many women as refugees under the 1951 Convention, it does not address the core issue of discrimination on grounds of sex as a violation of fundamental rights, or the problems of violence specifically directed against women. Women refugees are additionally vulnerable to rape, abduction, sexual harassment, physical violence and frequently the obligation to grant 'sexual favours' in return for documentation and/or relief goods. The article concludes that refugee women must be involved in the process of analysis and program implementation to ensure lasting solutions. [Descriptors: Migration - Refugees and Immigration]