“‘ELIL creates a safe environment free of judgement and prejudice by assigning an experienced female lawyer and a professional female interpreter for women and girls to share their deepest fears and traumas that made them flee their perpetrators.”
Today is International Women’s Day and this blog describes how ELIL is committed to assisting refugee women seeking safety. In Greece, where over a quarter of those seeking international protection are women, ELIL has played a crucial role in providing legal assistance as, in 2023, 38.01% of the individuals we assisted were female.
Challenges Faced by Refugee Women:
Upon arriving in Greece, women who have endured extreme violence and dangerous journeys often encounter new challenges. Refugee women, in particular, are faced with issues related to their gender, societal roles and standing. Their access to fundamental rights and hence legal assistance is often limited, making them more susceptible to discrimination and violence. The lack of facilities and the poor conditions in camps place a particularly heavy burden on women, who often shoulder the majority of care responsibilities for children and other relatives.
Legal Assistance Tailored for Women:
Recognising the challenges faced by refugee women, ELIL is dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive space within our offices. Our lawyers do extensive research into country-of-origin information, focusing on matters relevant to gender-based claims. This includes understanding the legal position of women, political and social rights, cultural norms, and the risks they may face upon return after seeking asylum.
ELIL is very aware of the need for sensitivity, particularly when supporting refugee women with their asylum case. Acknowledging that some women may hesitate to disclose the full extent of persecution for a variety of reasons, ELIL actively pays special attention to addressing psychological and social barriers, ensuring women can safely and confidently present their claims.
ELIL's Approach:
To facilitate open communication, ELIL acknowledges the importance of having female staff, particularly lawyers and interpreters. With 70% of our lawyers, and almost 50% of our interpreters, being female, ELIL ensures a culturally sensitive approach to addressing the specific needs of refugee women.
In the three locations we work in Greece, we are actively engaged in centres specifically oriented towards assisting women and children. In Athens, we work at Action for Women, an organisation dedicated to women's rights with an all-female team and management, providing support for the recovery, resilience and integration of women seeking asylum. We also have duty hours at the JRS Women’s Centre, a centre with social workers offering psychosocial support and a medical clinic providing initial aid.
On Lesvos, we have regular duty at When We Band Together. WWBT is a community centre for women and children outside the Mavrovouni camp. In Thessaloniki, our team has weekly duty hours in the centre of the Quick Response Team, a space that offers various activities exclusively for refugee girls and women residing in Diavata camp.
These initiatives are crucial for ELIL and, recognising the challenges women may face in reaching our offices, are vital to ensuring we can support refugee women. We prioritise having regular duty hours in locations that are accessible to women, creating a safe and calm environment where they can discuss their asylum cases and receive support in advance of their asylum interviews.
As ELIL continues its work, we are steadfast in our commitment to empowering refugee women by providing tailored legal assistance and creating a supportive environment that recognises and addresses the challenges they face. This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the resilience and strength of women seeking safety.