The Gender Equality Division of the Council of Europe has produced a new Factsheet on protecting the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls. This is part of the implementation of the 2018-2023 Gender Equality Strategy which includes a new strategic objective on ensuring that migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women have access to their human and social rights notably in relation to asylum, protection, employment, health, housing, education, legal aid and support structures.

The publication aims at providing an analysis of the situation and discrimination and violence that migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls are confronted with. It tackles the need for gender-responsive policies and measures in countries of origin and destination. In line with the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, State parties must in particular ensure that the grounds for asylum are interpreted in a gender-sensitive way and that reception and asylum procedure are also gender-sensitive. Indeed, the outcome of migration for a woman, whether positive or negative, depends on their personal circumstances, but also on existing laws and policies which determine levels of protection and integration.