Written evidence submitted to ‘Brexit: future UK-EU cooperation on asylum and international protection‘ inquiry

SOGICA (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Claims of Asylum: A European Human Rights Challenge) is a four-year (2016-2020)research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC)that explores the social and legal experiences of individuals across Europe claiming international protection on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI). It is led by Professor Nuno Ferreira and a team of researchers at the University of Sussex who are Dr Carmelo Danisi, Dr Moira Dustin and Dr Nina Held. We thank the Committee members for this opportunity to contribute. We are pleased to see that the Sub-Committee has received submissions by experts in the broad field of asylum,including the Immigration Law Practitioners Association, as well as respected academic colleagues. Our research addresses the needs of a group of people who are often marginalized but who face particular problems reaching Europe and claiming asylum in member states