Women fleeing rape face coercion and control by Home Office contractors

Women who have fled rape, forced marriage and sexual exploitation are being subjected to coercion and control by Home Office contractors in hotels, according to new research.

The charity Women for Refugee Women has carried out the first research specifically focusing on the experiences of women in Home Office asylum seeker hotels. The researchers include seven women who have previously lived in such accommodation.

A total of 63 women from 26 different countries took part in the research. According to freedom of information data obtained for the report, there were 8,029 female asylum seekers living in hotels as of June 2024, with the largest three nationality groups being Iranians (1,236), Eritreans (618) and Afghans (586).

The research found that almost half of the women surveyed said that living in a Home Office hotel made them feel suicidal, with complaints of voyeurism from male hotel staff entering their rooms without permission when they were naked or partly dressed, sexual harassment from male staff and oppressive daily roll calls and evening curfews, which were described as “school dormitory rules” that “infantilised” the women.