‘Illegal Migrants’, Gender and Vulnerability: The Case of the EU’s Returns Directive

Abstract

Feminist legal efforts to make sense of the external migration policies of the European Union (EU) have focused almost exclusively on the EU's initiatives against trafficking in women. This article examines one of the more neglected areas of EU immigration policy-the return of 'illegal immigrants'. It analyses the so-called 2008 Returns Directive in the light of the multidimensional inequalities experienced by migrant women, which affect their migration status and expose some of them to the threat of removal. Owing to insecurities over external migration, the Directive constructs even the most vulnerable migrants as a threat to be controlled and is likely to result in detrimental consequences for many migrants, and in particular already vulnerable women who are likely to be further disadvantaged by it.

Transforming Vulnerability into Power: Exploring Empowerment among Women with Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in the Context of Migration in Belgium

“…For this reason, migration makes it possible for migrants to extend their cultural practices in their host countries (Leye and Sabbe 2009). Many migrants find themselves in some vulnerable situations because of their immigration status, gender or ethnicity (Askola 2010). This vulnerability corresponds to the experience of being affected by the difficulty to act for oneself and, as a result, places the individual in the situation of being for others, in order to find "the I am as well as the I can" (Botbol-Baum 2016).…”

Globe in Motion. Patterns of international migration: Similarities and Differences

“…the Home office has been shown to be failing in its obligations to protect victims of trafficking. this arguably arises from the Home office's 'hostile' environment agenda; the default position has appeared to be to repatriate victims of trafficking, even when it is potentially dangerous or damaging to their recovery (Askola, 2010). in many cases, the individual had initially desired to enter the UK AlexAnDRA WilliAMS-WooDS and it was this desire that was exploited.…”

Horizontal policy coordination and gender mainstreaming: The case of the European Union's Global Approach to Migration and Mobility

“…and the specific needs of women.' The rest of the document is gender blind, despite the availability of evidence not only from academics (Askola, 2007(Askola, , 2010Kofman, 2003;Kofman, Phizacklea, Raghuram, & Sales, 2000;Kofman, Raghuram, & Merefield, 2004;Lutz, 2010), but also from international organisations, such as the United Nations (Zlotnik, 2003), the International Labour Organisation (International Labour Organisation, 2008) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) (International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 2008), that migration is highly gendered and requires gender-sensitive policy approaches.…”