Asylum - International Protection

The International Protection Programme of Valencia Acoge (Red Acoge) is aimed at women who apply for asylum due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for belonging to a particular social group or sexual orientation and/or for gender-based violence and are in a situation of particular vulnerability.

The United Nations defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life".

These reasons may include:

Physical or psychological violence by a partner or ex-partner.
Sexual assault or abuse.
Forced sterilisation or abortion.
Female genital mutilation or risk of female genital mutilation.
Forced marriage.
Trafficking of women.
LGTBI persecution.

Protection measures include the non-refoulement and non-expulsion of asylum seekers as well as the guarantee of fundamental rights: permanent residence and work authorisation, access to the rights recognised by the legislation applicable to victims of gender-based violence, access to health care and psychosocial assistance.

These measures are made effective in the framework of an accompaniment and comprehensive care that is developed in several stages (reception, integration, autonomy) and that guarantees a specialised approach that takes into account the characteristics of the group and the pace of each person. The general objectives of the intervention proposal are:

Provide a space of security and accompaniment through immediate residential shelter so that they can move away from the source of violence and protect their physical and psychological integrity in order to make their legal rights effective.
To offer, through multidisciplinary and inter-institutional services, personalised accompaniment during the different stages of the inclusion process, taking into account specific needs.
Guarantee the reparation of the different aspects that have been damaged due to the violence experienced in all areas of intervention.
Facilitate experiences of care in an environment of trust and effective participation where women can experience other forms of non-violent relationships.
Promote interdependence through strengthening the social and community network.
Raise awareness of the imaginaries and subjectivities that perpetuate violence against women.
Accompanying legal asylum proceedings, accompaniment to courts, individualised monitoring of asylum cases, extension of the asylum case, etc.

Asylum – International Protection