Refugee women in Britain

Abstract

Refugee women's experience in Britain is affected by a range of factors, including their experiences prior to arrival, their attitudes towards their migration, access to social and economic institutions, the presence of community associations and social networks, and the impact of refugee policies. Refugee women's language skills, childcare responsibilities, education, employment, and immigration status will all have an important impact on their integration. The fact that UK asylum policy refuses to recognise the integration needs of asylum seekers in terms of language learning and access to employment, for example, has an impact on the experiences of refugee women both before and after their asylum decision. This chapter takes a roughly chronological approach to refugee women's experiences of life in Britain, beginning with their arrival in the country and ending with their integration or removal. It looks at housing for asylum seekers, along with racism, hostility, and domestic violence encountered by refugee women, poverty and destitution, detention, the use of immigration detention for pregnant women and babies, access to health services, maternity care, deportation, and family and community relations.