In 2014, the EU’s Court of Justice ruled that deciphering an asylum seeker’s sexual orientation cannot infringe on their human rights, denouncing the use of tests and stereotypes. Regardless, according to a recent report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (Fundamental Rights Report, 2017), only a few EU member states have guidelines for interviewing LGBTQI+ applicants (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex and other all of the other sexualities, sexes, and genders). In addition, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have pointed to severe deficiencies in asylum hearings. This finding has been confirmed by recent scholarship on queer migration and displacement. Examining how the sexual orientations and gender identities of asylum seekers are evaluated in asylum interviews is crucial, as asylum seekers belonging to sexual and gender minorities are particularly vulnerable to deportation, persecution, and violence.
We are currently looking for participants, who have sought asylum from Finland based on persecution due to sexual orientation or gender identity. You may be currently seeking asylum or have already received a decision. We would like to conduct an interview concerning your experiences of the asylum proceedings. The interview would take about 1 to 2 hours. We are also interested in analysing documents from the asylum interviews, if you would like to share them with us. We are also interested in recording potential upcoming asylum interviews. We can agree on the extent of your participation during the research interview.
You do not have to commit to anything in advance!
You can find more details about the practicalities of the study from our infromation sheet in Finnish, English, Arabic, and Russian.
If you would like to participate or would like to hear more about the study, please contact us via email:
valtteri.vaha-savo(at)tuni.fi
venla.koivuluhta(at)tuni.fi
Inner Truth Evaluation 