Health assessment of sexual torture experienced by women refugees

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Identification, health assessment and documentation of rape and sexual torture experienced by women asylum seekers/ refugees

  • IRAS ID

    137410

  • Contact name

    Nimisha Patel

  • Contact email

    n.patel@uel.ac.uk

  • Research summary

    This project aims to explore the experiences of women survivors of torture and health and legal professionals in working with such women, of the asylum determination process. Specifically, the research aims to explore what enables or hinders the disclosure of rape or other sexual torture during this process.

    Research questions

    1. How do women experience the asylum determination process, including health assessments they may have had in this process?
    2. What enables or hinders disclosure of rape or other forms of sexual torture in the asylum determination process?
    3. What are the structural, procedural or other barriers to the identification and appropriate health assessment of women torture survivors?

    The research seeks to:

    1. Improve the awareness and knowledge of health and legal professionals of the needs of women torture survivors and barriers to disclosure of rape other forms of sexual torture, in order to facilitate identification and relevant health and legal protection during the asylum determination process;
    2. Improve health assessments with women torture survivors to facilitate disclosure of rape and other forms of sexual torture and to enhance documentation of this information.

  • REC name

    London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    13/LO/1905

  • Date of REC Opinion

    9 Jan 2014

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion