Published In
Modern Law Review
Document Type
Working Paper
Publication Date
2010
Subjects
forced marriage; human rights; refugee law; persecution; gender; sexuality
Abstract
This article reports on our analysis of 120 refugee cases from Australia, Canada, and Britain where an actual or threatened forced marriage was part of the claim for protection. We found that forced marriage was rarely considered by refugee decision makers to be a harm in and of itself. This finding contributes to understanding how gender and sexuality are analysed within refugee law, because the harm of forced marriage is experienced differently by lesbians, gay men and heterosexual women. We contrast our findings in the refugee case law with domestic initiatives in Europe aimed at protecting nationals from forced marriages both within Europe and elsewhere. We pay particular attention to British initiatives because they are in many ways the most far-reaching and innovative, and thus the contrast with the response of British refugee law is all the more stark.
Citation Details
Catherine Dauvergne & Jenni Millbank, "Forced Marriage as a Harm in Domestic and International Law" ([forthcoming in 2010]) 73 Mod L Rev 57.
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Immigration Law Commons, International Humanitarian Law Commons, Law and Gender Commons, Sexuality and the Law Commons