Refugee and Migrant Womens' Coalition

Refugee and Migrant Womens' Coalition
Name	Refugee and Migrant Womens' Coalition
Formation	2010s
Type	Non-governmental organization
Purpose	Advocacy for refugee and migrant women
Headquarters	London
Region served	International
Leader title	Director

Refugee and Migrant Womens' Coalition is a non-governmental network linking activists, service providers, and scholars focused on the rights of displaced women and girls. The Coalition brings together practitioners from humanitarian, legal, and public health fields to coordinate responses across humanitarian crises such as the Syrian civil war, Rohingya crisis, and displacement linked to the European migrant crisis. It engages with multilateral institutions including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and regional bodies such as the European Union and African Union.

History

The Coalition was founded in the wake of refugee mobilizations across Europe and the Middle East during the 2010s, shaped by precedent organizations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and International Rescue Committee. Early meetings convened activists from RefuAid, Women for Refugee Women, Asylum Aid, and legal advocates formerly working with the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court. Influenced by testimonies from survivors represented at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and public health research from Médecins Sans Frontières and World Health Organization, the Coalition developed protocols for gender-responsive reception and protection.

Mission and Objectives

The Coalition's stated mission draws on frameworks set by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the 1951 Refugee Convention, aiming to reduce gendered vulnerabilities among displaced populations. Objectives include strengthening access to legal remedies through partnerships with organizations like Liberty (UK), expanding sexual and reproductive health services consistent with guidance from the Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA, and promoting economic inclusion modeled on programs by the International Labour Organization. The Coalition prioritizes coordination with academic centers such as London School of Economics and Columbia University for evidence-based interventions.

Membership and Structure

Membership comprises grassroots groups, international NGOs, legal clinics, and academic researchers drawn from networks including Women’s Refugee Commission, Plan International, and university programs at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Governance features a steering committee with representatives from regional nodes in Europe, Africa, and Asia; advisors have backgrounds at institutions like Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and the Centre for Global Development. The Coalition employs working groups modeled after the Inter-Agency Standing Committee cluster approach, with portfolios on protection, health, livelihoods, and legal aid.

Programs and Activities

Programs include community-led shelters informed by practice from Doctors of the World, mobile clinics delivered in partnership with UNICEF and Red Cross, and legal assistance clinics resembling services by Asylum Aid and Refugee Legal Support. The Coalition runs capacity-building workshops in collaboration with International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, training interpreters from networks like Translators without Borders and linking to livelihood programs from Oxfam. Research collaborations have produced policy briefs with think tanks such as Chatham House and Brookings Institution and training curricula adopted by municipal authorities in cities like Athens, Berlin, and Cairo.

Advocacy and Policy Impact

Advocacy campaigns target national asylum systems and international fora, engaging with the European Court of Human Rights, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and national legislatures in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada. The Coalition has submitted shadow reports to treaty bodies including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and contributed evidence at parliamentary inquiries alongside organizations such as Stonewall and Equality Now. Policy influence includes adoption of gender-sensitive screening procedures in selected reception centers and contributions to regional guidelines by the Council of Europe.

Partnerships and Funding

Partners span humanitarian agencies, university research centers, and legal networks including Refugee Council (UK), Equality and Human Rights Commission, and the International Organization for Migration. Funding sources have included philanthropic foundations like Open Society Foundations, grants from the European Commission and project support from bilateral donors such as Department for International Development (UK) and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Programmatic collaborations also involve corporate social responsibility initiatives from private sector partners and in-kind support from community organizations like Migrant Help.

Challenges and Criticisms

Critics point to dependence on short-term grants similar to patterns observed in international development funding debates and note coordination tensions between large NGOs and grassroots actors documented by scholars at SOAS University of London and King’s College London. Other challenges include navigating restrictive asylum policies in states influenced by political shifts exemplified by debates around the Dublin Regulation and balancing protection with rapid emergency responses during crises comparable to the Libya migrant shipwrecks. Some feminist and migrant-rights groups have criticized partnership choices and resource allocation, prompting internal reviews and policy revisions aligned with accountability frameworks used by Humanitarian Accountability Partnership.

Category:Non-governmental organizations