New report: Women Refugees at Risk in Europe

We are pleased to launch the report Women Refugees at Risk in Europe prepared by Nobel Women's Initiative.

The report reviews the risks for women refugees as they make the dangerous trek across Europe. The report finds that women are vulnerable a bottleneck points along the route, and even more vulnerable when they reach reception centres that do not have secure and separate sleeping areas for women. Women also experience sexual violence at alarming rates and there is currently 100% impunity for gender-based crimes committed against refugee women. High numbers of refugee women are pregnant with no access to pre- or post-natal care.

The report also highlights civil society organizations working around the clock to address the needs of refugee women in creative and innovative ways. Groups like ATINA NGO are at the forefront of the crisis providing psychosocial services to women refugees. The report also outlines the need for better state-led strategies to provide an adequate response to the needs of women.

In November 2015 Nobel laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi and Tawakkol Karman led Opening Borders: #WomenRefugeesWelcome – a delegation of women experts to the Balkans and Germany to witness the experience of women refugees fleeing war. Along the route, delegates met with civil society organizations working tirelessly to provide support to women refugees. The delegation also highlighted the root causes of the refugee crisis – including the war in Syria – and called for an end to the conflict.