Brief description:

Following the rapid human rights crisis after the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021, several Afghan nationals have sought refuge in different regions of the world, including the United Kingdom. The recent statistics from the UK home office reveal that 27,182 people are re-settled in the UK through different Afghan re-settlement schemes. The United Kingdom, with a rich history of hosting thousands of Afghan refugees, has designed integration policies to aid the re-settlement of this forcibly displaced population. However, Afghan women, who belong to a culturally distinct background, often struggle in navigating the integration process. Particularly, they face potential challenges to their cultural identity affecting their autonomy and social inclusion. This project sets out to investigate how these policies lead to the erasure of cultural identities, impacting the autonomy and the ability of Afghan women to preserve their cultural identity.
Although there is a rich amount of literature exploring the integration policies of the United Kingdom, there remains a significant gap focusing on the cultural rights of Afghan women in their journey of integration in the UK with an intersectional lens. The findings of this project will positively contribute to filling this gap by examining whether the UK's integration policies are in line with the cultural rights of Afghan women. In doing so, this research will focus on the UK's legal obligations under international legal instruments, such as ICESR and CEDAW to examine whether the current national policies of the UK protect and promote the retention of the cultural identity of Afghan women or enforce assimilation at the cost of fundamental rights.
To provide a comparative and contextual analysis, this research will explore the integration framework of other western states including the EU migration and Asylum Law. This comparative lens is essential for evaluating the gaps in the UK's national policies on integration, particularly focusing on its post-Brexit approach. By examining the EU Framework and best practices in refugee integration, this research aims to highlight the potential areas of improvement in the UK's integration policies. Studying EU Migration and Asylum Law will not only upgrade the theoretical foundation of this research but will also offer practical insights into more inclusive models of integration for refugees, particularly those belonging to minority groups.

Methodology:

This research intends to provide a two-sided contribution to the body of refugee literature, First, Doctrinal legal analysis and second, empirical research. The Doctrinal component will examine the theoretical construction of integration, within the context of cultural rights. It will also examine the UK's refugee integration-oriented law, policies, and case laws in the light of International human rights standards. Additionally, empirical research aims to conduct qualitative semi-structured and open-ended interviews research with individuals and groups affected by or involved in the integration process of this refugee population. This will allow the researcher to gain first-hand experience of how the integration policies are experienced and navigated, particularly concerning the preservation of cultural identity and autonomy. Most importantly, an intersectional approach will be adopted throughout the research, to understand how multi-layered identities such as gender, ethnicity, refugee status, and nationality intersect to influence the integration experiences of these women.

Keywords: Afghans, Human Rights, intégration, women and girls, Culture

Home University:

Brunel University London

Faculty:

Brunel Law School

Supervisor: Ermioni Xanthopoulou

Added to catalogue on: 23-05-2025

Additional information: