New Report: Improving Access to Justice for Undocumented Women
Monday, June 25, 2012 12:35 PM

The Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants ("PICUM") presented a new report, “Strategies to End Double Violence Against Undocumented Women – Protecting Rights and Ensuring Justice,” to the European Parliament on June 21, 2012. The report calls for European governments to improve efforts to provide access to justice for undocumented women.
 
Undocumented women are discouraged from reporting abuse through fear of deportation. Many are turned away from women’s shelters. Their abusers understand the women’s fears and take advantage of their vulnerable situation. PICUM argues that a woman’s need for protection should take precedence over her legal status in that country. The report highlights the efforts of migrant women activists in putting pressure on governments to respect their rights and provide them with adequate protection. Through case studies of successful initiatives from across the region, the report aims to support advocates of undocumented women’s rights in lobbying for change. The examples also provide governments with a valuable resource for crafting their own policies and legislation to better protect the human rights of all women, whatever their immigration status, and to hold accountable those who are responsible for abuses.