British immigration policy is putting female asylum seekers at risk of sexual assault, lawyers warned this week as the Refugee Council reported that three-quarters of women seeking asylum have been raped either in their country of origin or in the UK.

The interim findings of the council’s three-year Vulnerable Women’s Project also found that 76% of the 153 women interviewed were experiencing ‘trauma-related psychological distress’, 15% had become pregnant from being raped and 20% had developed gynaecological problems. Many had seen their claims for asylum rejected and, destitute and homeless, had suffered further sexual violence in the UK through prostitution or through having no place of safety.

The average age of the victims is 34, although some are under 18. Countries of origin include Sri Lanka and Somalia.

Hani Zubeidi, an immigration solicitor with London firm Fadiga & Co, said rape is recognised under international law as a weapon of war, but not as torture: ‘Under our asylum rules, victims of torture are not returned to the country where the torture took place. But rape is regarded as something that occurs indiscriminately and is not the government policy of the country where it happened. And so raped women can get sent back to the very last place they want to be.’

Debora Singer, coordinator of the Refugee Women’s Resource Project at charity Asylum Aid, called on lawyers to ensure the UK Border Agency follows its own gender guidelines.

‘Refugee women are entitled to a female Home Office caseworker and female lawyer,’ she said. ‘After all, the devastating experiences they are describing are hugely sensitive.’

Singer urged lawyers to direct asylum seekers to the guidance leaflets published by Asylum Aid in 12 languages, as well as to its DVD explaining the asylum process stage by stage. She also called on law firms to sign up for the charity’s campaign to support refugee women. For more details visit www.asylumaid.org.uk