Two women stay at a center in southern Texas that provides short-term shelter to asylum seekers along the United States-Mexico border.
© UNHCR/ Nicolo Filippo Rosso

Women's Claims

Español

UNHCR has long recognized the special protection needs of women and girls in refugee and asylum procedures and works to understand escalating levels of violence they face across the globe. Recognizing the unique risks this population faces and in accordance with established international standards, UNHCR takes the view that the refugee definition encompasses claims from women and girls who experienced or might experience gender-based violence. It has developed guidance accordingly.

UNHCR offers the following summary on this topic as relevant to pursuing asylum claims in the United States:

Key UNHCR Resources

For a discussion of substantive and procedural considerations relevant to gender-based claims, see:

For a discussion of UNHCR’s views on the legal analysis of gender-based asylum claims in the U.S. context, see:

For a discussion of the specific protection issues, problems, and risks facing refugee and asylum-seeking women, see:

Additional Materials