This research focuses on unaccompanied or separated adolescent girls who have survived gender-based violence and have sought asylum in Greece. It seeks to explore the interpretations and identities that asylum and psychosocial professionals assign to the girls and to research whether and how the process of the asylum interview may shape the narrative of violence and victimhood of the girls and predefine their self-representation.  The research draws from different theoretical frameworks in exploring the power of the state as reflected in the official discourses on vulnerability and the legal processes of granting asylum; the stereotypical ideations of victimhood and the gendered character it often entails; the intersection of gender, age, migration, and the lived experience of violence.  Two methodological approaches are implemented; semi-structured interviews conducted with five professionals and autoethnography. The data from the interviews were thematically codified and analyzed, while the autoethnographic data fed the construction of two case studies. The recurring themes identified commonly shape a set of concluding remarks and make apparent the need for further research in the field.

This study is focusing on the comparison of the asylum and immigration policy of Austria and Switzerland. The time frame chosen for this study are the first two decades of the new millennium. The study captures the breaking point in asylum and immigration policy which the European migration crisis had been in between the years 2015 and 2016. The securitization theory and the concept of national identity are used in explaining the shifts in adopted policies. The study grasps the process of securitization taking place thorough the chosen time frame with concentrating on what impact national identity had have in constructing security threads. The paper concludes that securitization of migration had indeed taken place in the chosen time frame. However, the specifics of each countries national identity have had very little impact on adoption of new legislation.

Doctor Legum - LLD / According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, women account for 48% of the refugees globally. "Persecution" is the central tenet in the refugee definition, but the ensuing jurisprudence was initially developed from the male experience. Therefore, the phallocentric nature of international and domestic refugee regimes mean that women's experiences of persecution are often marginalised, first, in their country of origin, and secondly, by the States from whom they seek refuge. Thus, the patriarchal conceptualisation of persecution exists in the content, interpretation and application of refugee law. The critical analysis of international refugee law, together with a comparative study between South Africa and Canada's refugee regimes, confirms that this conceptualisation impacts negatively on the manner in which gender-related asylum claims are assessed. This thesis argues for a reconceptualisation of refugee law through feminist scholarship, to investigate, question and expose the patriarchy residing in refugee laws and processes, and to theorise how gender-related persecution should be determined. Refugee jurisprudence has generally established that gender is socially constructed and based on sex which is biological and unchangeable The arrangement of sex and gender as immutable constructs enable the subordination of women, and within the refugee discourse, underpins gender related persecution specifically. Therefore, the reconceptualisation of sex and gender into malleable and dynamic concepts facilitates a paradigm for the protection of refugee women. The dominance theory and the deconstruction theory, together with feminist methods are used to conceptually explore the construction of sex and gender, recognising how the intersection with other identities, such as race and class, influence the understanding of sex and gender in refugee discourse. This thesis argues that the current construction of sex and gender together with the strategies that are increasingly used by governments to prevent refugees from crossing the borders, mean that asylum-seekers generally, and women, specifically are not receiving adequate protection. The xenophobic rhetoric of officials together with the enactment of restrictive refugee legislation, collectively result in South Africa and Canada creating and maintaining the illegal status of asylum-seekers.

The thesis revolves around the question of whether state and non-state actors’ responses to the refugee crises are restricting the rights of refugees by introducing privatization of security. The thesis studies the experiences of refugees in offshore immigration detention centres of Australia and the UN operated refugee camps, which are highly privatized or are in a process of privatization. The thesis rests on the theoretical framework provided by Hannah Arendt which explains why human rights are failing refugees in this context, and how they remain meaningless until the 'right to have rights' is incorporated as a basic right. The thesis argues that privatization of security is harmful and results in increased human rights violations and that the private military and security companies are a way of delegating as well as deflecting responsibility that state actors and non-state actors have towards refugees. The thesis also raises the possibility of private resettlement programs as one of the solutions to ensure the right of belongingness is translated practically by giving refugees a community. / Graduate

The current study explores the experiences of mental health care professionals in Sweden who conduct therapy with the assistance of an interpreter. Seven participants took part in semi-structured interviews that were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, 1996). Three main themes emerged from the analysis of the interview transcripts: (1) communication and translation - highlighting the communicative challenges and benefits that arise when using an interpreter, (2) the interpreter as a person and as a professional - describing the variation of interpreters in terms of behavior, personality, roles, and professionalism, and their impact on psychological treatment, and (3) dynamics and relations - featuring the interpreter’s impact on the dynamics and the process of building a patient-therapist alliance. The results show that all participants find it difficult to determine the accuracy of the translation, and several techniques used by the clinician to ensure a correct translation were pointed out. Moreover, findings highlight the essentiality of non-verbal cues and body language in communication and that the role and the behavior, in addition to several personal factors of the interpreter has an impact on the patient-therapist alliance and therapy dynamics. In addition, the study illuminates the patient’s impact on the interpreter as many interpreters themselves have been through traumatic experiences, which in turn may affect the therapeutic process. The findings of the current study show how important it is for clinicians, mental health services, and interpreting services to take the interpreters’ impact on the clinician, the patient, and the therapeutic outcome  into account. The study aims to contribute to a better understanding of clinicians’ experiences of working with interpreters to improve the use of - and collaboration with - interpreters and thereby raise the standard of psychological treatment for refugees and asylum seekers.

No description available.

Jedes Jahr verlassen zahlreiche queere Menschen ihre Heimat, wo sie von Hass, Diskriminierung, der Möglichkeit einer Strafverfolgung und in einigen Fällen sogar der Todesstrafe bedroht sind. Sie fliehen nach Europa und Nordamerika, wo sie nach Schutz und einem Leben in Freiheit suchen. In den Aufnahmeländern angekommen sehen sich queere Geflüchtete und Asylbewerber·innen jedoch mit einer Vielzahl gravierender Hürden konfrontiert, darunter Sprachbarrieren, eine komplizierte Bürokratie, Rassismus und intersektionale Formen der Diskriminierung. Dolmetscher·innen können als kulturelle und sprachliche Mittler·innen eine helfende Hand reichen, während sie gleichzeitig im Asylprozess eine wichtige und entscheidende Rolle spielen. Diese Rolle kann jedoch sehr leicht ausgenutzt und missbraucht werden. Viele Fälle zeigen die Probleme, die queere Geflüchtete während ihrer Asylprozesse haben - nicht nur mit den Behörden sondern auch mit den Dolmetscher·innen selbst - sowie die Konsequenzen, die sie deshalb fürchten müssen. Diese Masterarbeit beleuchtet die Rolle und Bedeutung von Dolmetscher·innen während der Asylprozesse queerer Geflüchteter, insbesondere in der Europäischen Union und Deutschland. Das Ziel ist es eine breitgefächerte Übersicht über mögliche Herausforderungen zu geben, mit denen Dolmetscher·innen, aber auch queere Geflüchtete und Asylbewerber·innen kämpfen müssen. Außerdem sollen Möglichkeiten aufgezeigt werden, um diese Herausforderungen zu meistern. Um als Dolmetscher·in die eigene Arbeit qualitativ zu verbessern ist es notwendig zu verstehen, wie die Umstände für queere Geflüchtete aus der ganzen Welt sind. Die Masterarbeit behandelt außerdem die Relevanz angemessener und nicht beleidigender Sprache im Kontext der LGBTQ* -Community in Verbindung mit dem Hintergrund, wie Sprache unsere Wahrnehmung beeinflusst. Ein Glossar, welches die wichtigsten queeren Begriffe, Termini und Definitionen auf Deutsch, Englisch, Französisch, Spanisch und Arabisch umfasst, soll Dolmetscher·innen die Arbeit mit queeren Geflüchteten und Asylbewerber·innen erleichtern. Die Arbeit ist in Deutsch verfasst und enthält Zitate auf Englisch, Französisch, Spanisch und Arabisch.:1 Einleitung 2 Definition LGBTQ* und spezifische Terminologie 3 Die Zugehörigkeit zur LGBTQ*-Community als Fluchtursache 3.1 Weltweite Lage der strafrechtlichen Verfolgung 3.2 Rechtliche Grundlagen zum Asylanspruch in Deutschland und Europa 3.2.1 Die Problematik des Diskretionsgebots 4 Dolmetschen für LGBTQ*-Geflüchtete 4.1 Allgemeiner Ablauf des Asylprozesses in Deutschland 4.2 Die Rolle von Dolmetscher·innen im Asylprozess 4.3 Herausforderungen für Dolmetscher·innen 4.4 Mögliche Konflikte mit Dolmetscher·innen 4.4.1 Laiendolmetscher·innen im Asylprozess 4.5 Mögliche Konflikte mit der Asylbehörde 4.6 Neutralität beim Dolmetschen im Asylprozess 4.7 Erfahrungsbericht und persönliche Schilderungen 4.8 Sensibilisierung und Hilfestellungen 5 Sprachliche Dimension der Verdolmetschung für LGBTQ*-Geflüchtete 5.1 Die Relevanz der Verwendung adäquater Terminologie 5.2 Die Bedeutung angemessener Sprachmittlung am Beispiel des Wortes schwul und seiner Übersetzung in andere Sprachen 6 Glossar zum Dolmetschen für LGBTQ*-Geflüchtete 7 Schlussbetrachtung 8 Nachwort Literatur- und Quellenverzeichnis Anhang o Interview mit Mohammad vom 14. April 2021 / The importance of interpreters for the LGBTQ* community as exemplified by work with queer refugees and asylum seekers. Every year, numerous queer people leave their home countries, threatened by hatred, discrimination, and the possibility of penal persecution or, – in some cases, even the death penalty. They arrive to Western countries in search of shelter and the opportunity to live in freedom. However, queer refugees and asylum seekers face a variety of tremendous obstacles in their host countries, such as language barriers, complicated bureaucracy, racism, and intersectional forms of discrimination. Interpreters in their role as cultural and linguistic mediators have the opportunity to provide them a helping hand while simultaneously playing an important and powerful role during the asylum proceedings. This role, unfortunately, can be abused and exploited easily. Various cases demonstrate the problems queer people have during asylum proceedings, not only with authorities, but also with the interpreters themselves, and what kind of consequences queer refugees have to fear. This master’s thesis focuses on the role and importance of interpreters during the asylum proceedings of queer refugees, especially in the European Union and Germany. The aim is to give a wide-ranging overview of possible obstacles faced by interpreters and queer refugees and asylum seekers alike, and, consequently, to put forth solutions to overcome these obstacles. In order to find out how interpreters can improve themselves and their work, it is necessary to understand the experiences of queer refugees from all around the world. This thesis also addresses the importance of appropriate and non-offending language and vocabulary in the context of the LGBTQ* community, considering how our perception is influenced by our own language. A glossary which includes the most important terms and definitions about the LGBTQ* community in German, English, French, Spanish, and Arabic has been provided in order to aid interpreters prepare in their work with queer refugees and asylum seekers. The thesis is written in German and includes citations in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.:1 Einleitung 2 Definition LGBTQ* und spezifische Terminologie 3 Die Zugehörigkeit zur LGBTQ*-Community als Fluchtursache 3.1 Weltweite Lage der strafrechtlichen Verfolgung 3.2 Rechtliche Grundlagen zum Asylanspruch in Deutschland und Europa 3.2.1 Die Problematik des Diskretionsgebots 4 Dolmetschen für LGBTQ*-Geflüchtete 4.1 Allgemeiner Ablauf des Asylprozesses in Deutschland 4.2 Die Rolle von Dolmetscher·innen im Asylprozess 4.3 Herausforderungen für Dolmetscher·innen 4.4 Mögliche Konflikte mit Dolmetscher·innen 4.4.1 Laiendolmetscher·innen im Asylprozess 4.5 Mögliche Konflikte mit der Asylbehörde 4.6 Neutralität beim Dolmetschen im Asylprozess 4.7 Erfahrungsbericht und persönliche Schilderungen 4.8 Sensibilisierung und Hilfestellungen 5 Sprachliche Dimension der Verdolmetschung für LGBTQ*-Geflüchtete 5.1 Die Relevanz der Verwendung adäquater Terminologie 5.2 Die Bedeutung angemessener Sprachmittlung am Beispiel des Wortes schwul und seiner Übersetzung in andere Sprachen 6 Glossar zum Dolmetschen für LGBTQ*-Geflüchtete 7 Schlussbetrachtung 8 Nachwort Literatur- und Quellenverzeichnis Anhang o Interview mit Mohammad vom 14. April 2021

We investigate the effect of migration policy reforms on the number of asylum applications into 22 EU countries. This is done by using the Determinants of International Migration Policy, DEMIG policy index as a proxy for policy reforms in EU countries and the number of asylum applications from UNHCR. We perform OLS regressions with destination country fixed effects with HAC clustered standard errors. We contribute to the existing literature by using the DEMIG policy index which, to our knowledge, has not been used in earlier literature. We also thoroughly investigate the effect of migration policy, including both more restrictive and less restrictive policy. Through the investigation of the destination fixed effects, we find robust empirical evidence that migration policy does have an effect on asylum flows, which suggests, in addition to earlier literature, that migration policy is an important factor to have in consideration. Furthermore, we explore whether the push and pull factors examined in previous literature are consistent with our results. We find that the results vary, but are consistently in line with most of the earlier literature. In addition, we find that when other determinants of migration are included, the effect of migration policy diminishes.

This thesis is a close reading of the horror film His House (2020) and has its theoretical base in the works of Sara Ahmed. It focuses on the emotional experience of the film’s lead characters who are South Sudanese asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. The study is set out to chart which emotions the characters feel, which of them are the most overpowering and what does the presence of these emotions imply about the asylum experience. Close reading shows that feelings typically understood as negative are dominant – guilt being particularly present as it is tied to the film’s monster. The thesis argues that the film calls for attention to asylum seekers’ mental health through showing the horrors experienced by the heavily traumatized lead couple. The study also argues that horror fiction is a window to public anxieties, and as such offers a valuable research avenue to ethnic and migration studies as well as social sciences at large.

The on-going conflicts and hardships in various parts of the world, especially in theMiddle East and regions like Syria and Somalia, have triggered a significant wave ofmigration towards Europe. A considerable fraction of these migrants comprisesunaccompanied minors. This research study aims to explore how pre-migration,migration, and post-migration factors influence the mental health and well-being ofSyrian and Somali unaccompanied minors in Sweden during the asylum-seekingprocess. The study is qualitative in nature, employing six in-depth semi-structuredinterviews as its primary data collection method. Using the frameworks of the Senseof Coherence theory and coping theory, the research delves into the challengesunaccompanied minors encounter during the asylum process and the subsequentimpacts on their mental health. The findings suggest that the asylum-seeking processsignificantly impacts the mental health of unaccompanied minors, eliciting mentalhealth issues such as depression, anxiety, and feelings of uncertainty and insecurity.These influences are not confined to mental well-being alone but also permeate otheraspects of their lives. This study therefore highlights the necessity of acknowledgingand addressing the complex link between the asylum-seeking process and mentalhealth among unaccompanied minors.