BELIEVE IT OR NOT - International asylum conference: REGISTER NOW!

We invite you to join us on Friday 20 September 2024 at the conference BELIEVE IT OR NOT. Focusing on credibility assessment in asylum applications based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), the conference will bring together legal practitioners, activists, LGBTQI+ people who have sought asylum, policy makers, academics, and NGOs.  

Credibility assessment in SOGIESC asylum cases, or the decision who is and who is not LGBTIQ+, is still often based on stereotypical assumptions such as ‘emotional journeys’, shame, and other negative feelings the applicants are supposed to have experienced.  

Change is needed here to take into account the diversity and complexity of LGBTIQ+ applicants’ lived experiences and bring the credibility assessment of SOGIESC asylum claims in line with the Refugee Convention, human rights standards and academic insights regarding gender and sexuality.  

The full day conference will include a keynote speech by Nuno Ferreira, professor of law at the University of Sussex, a speech by a representative of UNHCR, panel discussions, paper presentations, and workshops exploring solutions to improve the credibility assessment of SOGIESC asylum claims without defaulting to models or stereotypes, and the impact of current credibility assessments on LGBTQI+ people who have sought asylum. The program will be announced soon. 

Registration for the conference is now open, click on the link below to register.  

https://coc.nl/en/believe-it-or-not/

Date: 20 September  

Time: 09.00 – 17.30  

Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands and online  

This conference is organized by COC Nederland as part of the Striking Sirens Coalition, a group of practitioners and academics in the field of SOGIESC asylum law in Europe, from Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.