GCM Objective 12

Strengthen certainty and predictability in migration procedures for appropriate screening, assessment and referral
WEE Strengthening the Economic Empowerment and Protection of Women&Girls Lebanon -COVID19 training with the distribution of certificates, hygiene and dignity kits in Beb Tebbeneh 2
Photo by Ramzi Haidar, Dar al- Mussawir

Issues

Screening measures and individual assessments at borders must be human rights-based, gender-responsive and conducted in a manner that is disability- and culturally sensitive to ensure that all migrants are treated with due process and dignity. Officials conducting screening assessments must be trained to recognize victims of trauma, particularly women and girls who have been victims of trafficking and/or survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) during or prior to their journey.

Officials should be trained to recognize and refer asylum seekers to relevant processes and mechanisms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, processing of migrants seeking admission and stay on humanitarian grounds should continue, including for migrant women who are victims of SGBV or other trauma. Assessments must be conducted in a gender-responsive manner in safe, dedicated spaces, in a language that the migrant understands or alternatively interpretation should be provided.

In the event that minors are apprehended at a point of entry without a parent or legal guardian, they must be provided with legal representation and/or a guardian ad litem prior to and during screening and be made fully aware of their rights and entitlements under the law in a language they can understand.

Measures

  • Clear information, in accessible formats, including for persons with disabilities, on options for safe and regular migration, the risks and realities of migration (in line with Objective 3 of the GCM) and necessary entry requirements, such as for obtaining visas and work permits, provided in partnership with non-governmental stakeholders, including women’s and migrant women’s organizations, to ensure large-scale dissemination
  • Interpretation, including sign language interpretation, available on request to ensure the migrant fully understands each step of the process
  • Gender-responsive training for officials at borders and ports of entry on recognizing and responding to cases of trauma and abuse, including victims of trafficking and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)
  • Training on asylum procedures and appropriate referral mechanisms available at borders and ports of entry
  • Consideration of regularization of status for migrant women who have experienced trauma and migrants in danger of irreparable harm in accordance with the principle of non-refoulement
  • Staff trained in human-rights and gender-responsive approaches in order to recognize factors that may cause people to fear disclosing sensitive information during individual assessments, such as interrogation of a woman in the presence of her partner
  • For unaccompanied minors, the provision of an independent child advocate or guardian ad litem who can advocate for the best interests of the child and ensure they are made aware of their rights in a language they understand
  • COVID-19: Provision of personal protective equipment to migrants and appropriate distancing measures maintained during reception and screening as part of pandemic response measures

Checklist

Question Yes Not yet
Does your State provide all migrant women and girls at ports of entry with full and clear information in accessible formats, including for persons with disabilities, about their rights and entitlements?
Does your State have policies in place that offer pathways for regularization of status for migrant women and girls who have been victims of trafficking and/or are survivors of other forms of trauma?
Are staff involved in screening procedures trained in human rights-based and gender-responsive approaches in order to recognize factors that may cause people to fear disclosing sensitive information during individual assessments?
Does your State train border and immigration officials in identifying victims of trafficking as well as other forms of migration-related trauma?
Does your State train border and immigration officials on asylum and humanitarian procedures and appropriate referral mechanisms?
Does your State have a reporting mechanism in place that enables migrant women to safely and confidentially report incidences of gross misconduct, including abuse and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), committed by immigration or border officials?
If yes, are investigations carried out based on these accusations?
If yes, are punitive measures applied to those officials found guilty of misconduct?
Does your State protect the privacy and identity of any migrant who accuses an immigration or border official of gross misconduct?
Does your State provide interpretation, including sign language, to migrants at all ports of entry?
Does your State assign unaccompanied minors to a child advocate to represent their best interests throughout the immigration process?
COVID-19: Is free personal protective equipment provided to migrants upon arrival at borders and for screening, as required?