Safe reporting for migrant victims of sexual violence : mapping policies in Belgium, Ireland, and the UK

The INHeRE project aims to improve holistic care for migrants, applicants for international protection and refugees (MAR) who have been sexually victimised (SV) and/or sex trafficked (ST), regardless of their sex, gender, sexual orientation, legal and/or protection status. Crimes in general remain underreported in Europe. MAR individuals are among the victims, and they might experience multiple barriers in being able to report due to the sensitive nature of sexual victimisation and their potentially vulnerable legal and social status in a country. For these reasons, the possibility to report sexual crimes in ways it provides victims safety from perpetrators and from being prosecuted based on migration status is of utmost importance. Here, safe reporting is defined as “the freedom to report crimes without fear that one will be punished for coming forward. It requires prioritizing the rights of victims and the safety of communities in situations of vulnerability ahead of the enforcement of immigration rules.