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As soon as the Home Office released its new guidance for asylum seekers explaining UK laws and social norms around gender equality, domestic abuse and sexual consent, Reform, the Conservatives and the right-wing press seized on its existence as evidence that concerns about the level of immigration and migrant men were justified. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, summed up the mood: “Instead of trying to train these mainly young, male illegal immigrants to behave in a civilised way towards women, the Home Office should instead deport them.” Even right-wing Republicans in the United States weighed in: “If men don’t understand ‘don’t rape women,’ why the hell is the UK letting them in at all?” posted Senator Ted Cruz.
On the face of it, the Home Office leaflet explaining consent and sexual violence to asylum seekers isn’t a terrible idea.
As Andy Burnham pointed out, it makes sense for people newly arrived in a country to be given a broad document explaining its laws, rights and social expectations. And explaining the rules around consent isn’t, in itself, a terrible idea either. There are cultural differences in how sexual violence is acknowledged, accepted, understood and processed. Through my work on sexual violence in conflict, and specifically the use of rape as a weapon of war, I’ve seen how approaches to sexual violence can differ depending on the country and context.
But acknowledging those differences doesn’t mean pretending sexual violence is somehow alien to British culture, or that men arriving in Britain have attitudes towards women from which British men are uniquely exempt.
The problem with the leaflet isn’t really what it says. It’s who the government has decided particularly needs to hear it.