When 'Feminist Beliefs' Became Credible as 'Political Opinions': Returning to a Key Moment in Canadian Refugee Law

Abstract

This submission highlights the key feminist inroad into the protection of refugee women fleeing persecution over the past twenty years — the moment in which Canadian state machinery formally engaged the fact that women may suffer social, political, or other forms of persecution because they are women. Drawing upon a myriad of sources, the submission illustrates the highly personal experiences that colour this engagement between feminism and the law, as well as the challenge of making women’s experiences as women legally relevant and politically meaningful.

Keywords: feminism, refugee, persecution