Refugee Women’s Peer Researcher Project
2021
Accessing Information, Rights and Services: Refugee Women’s Peer Research Project
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Refugee Women’s Peer Researcher Project report
In partnership with the British Red Cross, we co-produced a national peer research project exploring the barriers refugee women face in accessing information, rights and services in the UK. Eight women with lived experience of seeking refuge were trained as peer researchers, using Participatory Action Research methods to gather insights from 48 participants across the country.
Our Approach
Working alongside our team, eight peer researchers from Ghana, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Syria, Turkey, Nigeria and Ethiopia were trained in PAR - a set of visual, inclusive research tools designed to empower communities to investigate issues affecting their lives and co-create solutions.
Through online workshops, the group learned about ethics, questioning and listening skills, and facilitation techniques. They then designed and delivered their own fieldwork, engaging women from diverse backgrounds in 27 participatory sessions held online and in community spaces such as parks, salons and homes, adapting methods to COVID-19 restrictions.
The peer researchers explored five key questions:
What do refugee women know about their rights and entitlements in the UK?
How and where do they access information — and which sources do they trust?
What barriers do they face in accessing support and services?
Do experiences differ depending on how women enter the UK (asylum vs. family reunion)?
What would help overcome these barriers?
Key Findings
The research revealed that many refugee women struggle to understand their rights and entitlements, often due to language barriers, lack of accessible information, digital exclusion, and fear or mistrust of official bodies. Participants reported that systems are complex and fragmented — and that information is often inconsistent or inaccessible.
Barriers identified included:
Limited English language provision and patchy interpretation services
Overreliance on digital information, excluding women without access or skills
Lack of clarity about entitlements and eligibility
Gendered barriers and dependence on male partners for information
Racism, discrimination, and poor treatment by service providers
Lack of proactive, person-centred help and fragmented support systems
Despite these challenges, the study also uncovered a wealth of community-based resilience - with many women turning to informal networks, local charities, and faith or cultural groups for trusted advice and emotional support.
Recommendations
Participants and peer researchers proposed practical steps to address these barriers, including:
Clear, accessible information sessions for newly granted refugees
A “one-stop shop” approach to local information and referrals
Investment in English language and digital training for women
Employing more women with lived experience of the asylum system in support roles
Building stronger partnerships between statutory and community organisations
Better domestic violence support and trauma-informed healthcare
Recognising and building on refugees’ skills, qualifications, and ambitions
Impacts
The peer researchers’ insights were shared with the British Red Cross and presented to civil servants at the Home Office, ensuring that refugee women’s voices informed policy discussions. To celebrate and share the findings more widely, we collaborated with illustrator Ada Jusic to create a vibrant postcard summarising the research. These were distributed to all project participants and partner organisations supporting refugee women across the UK.
“Back home you work for 12 years [and] you know what you are good at [but] when you arrive here you start with learning English and they tell you that you must forget about your background. What you have done in your country isn’t important. You start from zero.”
Research participant
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