Protracted conflicts and the protection of women in refugee law

Querton, Christel

Abstract

The chapter explores the question of whether women fleeing armed conflicts are refugees as defined by the Refugee Convention. It analyses international and regional legal frameworks and UNHCR Guidelines to discuss whether international refugee law is constructed and interpreted in a manner that reflects the nature of violence, including human rights violations, experienced by women in conflicts and the reasons as to why they may be exposed to those harms. It provides an inter-disciplinary approach to understanding violence against women in situations of armed conflict to better reflect the realities of contemporary armed conflicts, including its gender-differentiated impacts. More specifically, it sets out how the continuum of violence against women increases the likelihood of women having a well-founded fear of being persecuted and demonstrates that those human rights violations are being exercised for reasons of (imputed) political opinion. Finally, the Chapter identifies gaps in knowledge and suggests future areas of research.

• Deposit Date: Aug 28, 2024
• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Book Title: Handbook on Migration and Human Rights
• Chapter Number: 2
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/12812535
• Contract Date: Aug 1, 2023