Domestic Violence as a Ground for Refugee Status – A Critical Analysis of the Requisites of the Refugee Definition
(2012) JURM01 20112Department of Law
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Uppsatsen behandlar våld mot kvinnor i nära relationer som grund för flyktingstatus i internationell rätt med svensk rätt som exempel på implementeringen i nationell rätt. Våld mot kvinnor i nära relationer förekommer i alla länder, kulturer och samhällsklasser i världen. Den här typen av våld är den vanligaste orsaken till skador hos kvinnor i näst intill alla länder i världen. Det kan vara mycket svårt för en kvinna att lämna ett våldsamt förhållande. Om en kvinna ändå lyckas fly den här typen av våld till ett annat land, kommer hon då att få flyktingstatus?
I uppsatsen utreds med hjälp av en utförlig genomgång av de olika rekvisiten i flyktingdefinitionen huruvida en kvinna som flytt undan våld i en nära relation skulle kunna anses... (More) - Uppsatsen behandlar våld mot kvinnor i nära relationer som grund för flyktingstatus i internationell rätt med svensk rätt som exempel på implementeringen i nationell rätt. Våld mot kvinnor i nära relationer förekommer i alla länder, kulturer och samhällsklasser i världen. Den här typen av våld är den vanligaste orsaken till skador hos kvinnor i näst intill alla länder i världen. Det kan vara mycket svårt för en kvinna att lämna ett våldsamt förhållande. Om en kvinna ändå lyckas fly den här typen av våld till ett annat land, kommer hon då att få flyktingstatus?
I uppsatsen utreds med hjälp av en utförlig genomgång av de olika rekvisiten i flyktingdefinitionen huruvida en kvinna som flytt undan våld i en nära relation skulle kunna anses som flykting och i så fall under vilka omständigheter samt vilka rekvisit som är kritiska och svåra att uppfylla. I slutet av uppsatsen presenteras vidare ett förslag på hur skyddet för kvinnor som flytt från våld i en nära relation skulle kunna förstärkas inom ramen för flyktingdefinitionen. Förslaget underbyggs i övriga delar av uppsatsen.
Det konstateras att våld mot kvinnor i nära relationer kan utgöra grund för flyktingstatus enligt internationell och svensk rätt under vissa omständigheter. De rekvisit som generellt sett kan innebära mest problem är kravet på ”orsakssamband mellan en konventionsgrund och förföljelsen”, det vill säga att förföljelsen kan sägas ha sin grund i en viss typ av egenskap hos offret, samt kravet på ”avsaknad av skydd i hemlandet”. Det föreslås att kravet på orsakssamband utformas något annorlunda än vad det gjort i svensk praxis. I stället för att fokusera på orsakerna till att staten misslyckas skydda kvinnan bör man fokusera på varför förövaren utsätter offret för våld, och då söka förklaringar för detta i ett strukturellt perspektiv. (Less) - Abstract
- The thesis deals with domestic violence as a ground for refugee status in international law, and in Swedish law as an example of the implementation in a national system. Domestic violence against women occurs in all countries, cultures and social classes in the world. This kind of violence is the most common cause of injury of women in close to all countries of the world. It can be very difficult for a woman to leave an abusive relationship. If a woman despite this fact manages to escape from this kind of violence and flee to another country, will she then qualify as a refugee?
This thesis thoroughly analyses the different requisites of the refugee definition in order to assess whether a woman who has fled domestic violence could be... (More) - The thesis deals with domestic violence as a ground for refugee status in international law, and in Swedish law as an example of the implementation in a national system. Domestic violence against women occurs in all countries, cultures and social classes in the world. This kind of violence is the most common cause of injury of women in close to all countries of the world. It can be very difficult for a woman to leave an abusive relationship. If a woman despite this fact manages to escape from this kind of violence and flee to another country, will she then qualify as a refugee?
This thesis thoroughly analyses the different requisites of the refugee definition in order to assess whether a woman who has fled domestic violence could be considered a refugee and if so, under what circumstances. The analysis also serves to identify the requisites that are critical and difficult to fulfil. Further, in the end of the thesis, a proposal for reinforced protection for women who have fled domestic violence, within the scope of the refugee definition, is presented. The proposal is supported by information in the rest of the thesis.
It is established in the thesis that domestic violence against women can constitute a ground for refugee status under certain circumstances in international law and Swedish law. The requisites that generally may cause most difficulties are the “causal link between the persecution and a convention ground”, i.e. that the victim risks persecution due to a certain kind of characteristic, and “lack of state protection” in the country of origin. It is proposed that the requirement of causal link is to be applied slightly differently than in Swedish case law. Instead of focusing on why the state fails to protect the woman, one ought to focus on why the perpetrator subjects the victim to violence. The perspective to be used when seeking explanations for the individual behaviour is a structural one. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/2342955
- author
- Etemad, Pauline LU
- supervisor
-
- Karol Nowak LU
- organization
- course
- JURM01 20112
- year
- 2012
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- Folkrätt, Public international law, Flyktingstatus, Refugee status, Våld mot kvinnor, Violence against women
- language
- English
- id
- 2342955
- date added to LUP
- 2012-03-14 10:50:13
- date last changed
- 2012-03-14 10:50:13
@misc{2342955,
abstract = {{The thesis deals with domestic violence as a ground for refugee status in international law, and in Swedish law as an example of the implementation in a national system. Domestic violence against women occurs in all countries, cultures and social classes in the world. This kind of violence is the most common cause of injury of women in close to all countries of the world. It can be very difficult for a woman to leave an abusive relationship. If a woman despite this fact manages to escape from this kind of violence and flee to another country, will she then qualify as a refugee?
This thesis thoroughly analyses the different requisites of the refugee definition in order to assess whether a woman who has fled domestic violence could be considered a refugee and if so, under what circumstances. The analysis also serves to identify the requisites that are critical and difficult to fulfil. Further, in the end of the thesis, a proposal for reinforced protection for women who have fled domestic violence, within the scope of the refugee definition, is presented. The proposal is supported by information in the rest of the thesis.
It is established in the thesis that domestic violence against women can constitute a ground for refugee status under certain circumstances in international law and Swedish law. The requisites that generally may cause most difficulties are the “causal link between the persecution and a convention ground”, i.e. that the victim risks persecution due to a certain kind of characteristic, and “lack of state protection” in the country of origin. It is proposed that the requirement of causal link is to be applied slightly differently than in Swedish case law. Instead of focusing on why the state fails to protect the woman, one ought to focus on why the perpetrator subjects the victim to violence. The perspective to be used when seeking explanations for the individual behaviour is a structural one.}},
author = {{Etemad, Pauline}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Domestic Violence as a Ground for Refugee Status – A Critical Analysis of the Requisites of the Refugee Definition}},
year = {{2012}},
}