Experts slam Dutch asylum decision on Afghan women
In the media image: Ariv Kurniawan on Unsplash
The Dutch immigration service IND wants to deport several Afghan women despite the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Experts including Mark Klaassen, Assistant Professor of Immigration Law, are unanimous in Trouw newspaper: deporting these women is unacceptable.
The experts believe that the discrimination and oppression faced by women under the Taliban regime are such that deporting them from the Netherlands would expose them to serious danger. They refer to a ruling by the European Court of Justice, which states that structural discrimination against women in Afghanistan amounts to persecution. They also argue that in such situations it is not necessary to look at the personal risks of an individual woman: just being an Afghan woman is sufficient reason to offer protection as a refugee.
However, the IND has rejected the asylum applications of these women, arguing that they had ‘failed to sufficiently demonstrate that the Taliban's rules hinder their desired lifestyle.' The immigration service bases its decision on their background. It claims, among other things, that the women were used to staying mainly indoors, doing household chores and were 'not westernised'.
The experts emphasise that the very purpose of asylum law is to protect people – in this case Afghan women – by providing them with a safe place to stay. According to the Court, the degree of discrimination constitutes an infringement of human dignity, and thus we are obliged to provide protection.
More information
Read the full article in Trouw (€, in Dutch)