Safe Country for Whom? A critical frame analysis of gender considerations in cessation practices in Denmark

Okkels, Maya Kjærhauge

4. term

Social Sciences, Master

2024

2024-02-20

59 pages

The aim of this thesis is to examine how gender is considered in practices relating to cessation of refugee protection in Denmark, departing from 2019 where new legislation was introduced, that shifted migration and asylum policies from integration towards a focus on return and temporary protection. Furthermore, the thesis aims to examine whether this has an impact on women who have who have received temporary protection under the temporary protection status §7 (3). This was examined by conducting a critical frame analysis to study whether cessation practices that are gender neutral in theory, fail to include gender considerations in the assessment of whether a country is safe for return. From the analysis, it was found that gender is considered in some cessation cases, by considering the differences in risks and persecution between men and women. However, by framing policy and legislation as “gender-neutral” it can reflect dominant perspectives and ignore women’s different experiences. By assuming that legal changes do not need a gendered analysis, gender differences are disregarded, resulting in unequal outcomes. Similarly, it was found that a “gender-neutral” way of looking at the security situation in relation to return might not take women’s experiences into account, because it is built on a traditional perspective of security. The focus of the Danish Government on reducing the number of refugees staying in Denmark, may affect the security of women who have sought protection in Denmark, because framings focused on return make it easier to revoke residence permits. Though gender is considered in some instances by the Danish immigration authorities in cessation practice, the framings found in the analysis appear to limit gender consideration that fully take the different vulnerabilities and insecurities women can face based on their gender into account. Because more women are prone to receive the temporary protection status under §7 (3), it consequently leaves them with a weaker protection form and the risk of being returned to a country that is deemed “generally safe” but is not safe for women.

gender ; cessation ; refugee protection ; Denmark ; women's rights ; security

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