New toolkit aims to improve protection for non-religious people seeking asylum

A major new toolkit will provide practical guidance to Home Office decision-makers, lawyers, charities and refugee support organisations, as well as people who are themselves seeking asylum because they are facing persecution relating to their non-religious worldview. 

‘Protecting the Non-Religious: A Toolkit for Recognising and Supporting Asylum Claims Based on Non-Religion and Apostasy’ has been developed by Dr Lucy Potter, an ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of York, in collaboration with Humanists UK, its Faith to Faithless programme, Migrants’ Rights Network, and a Lived Experience Advisory Group of people who have themselves sought asylum after leaving religion.

The toolkit responds to evidence that people seeking asylum on the basis of apostasy or non-religious beliefs can face distinctive barriers throughout the asylum process and in accessing appropriate support. People fleeing persecution because they have left a religion, or are facing blasphemy penalties may face imprisonment, violence, discrimination, family or community rejection, or pressure to conform to religious practices. These experiences can continue to shape their lives after arrival in the UK, including how they navigate the asylum system, communicate their experiences to decision-makers and interpreters, and find inclusive sources of community and emotional support.

The research underpinning the toolkit found examples of ex-religious people seeking asylum being expected to demonstrate detailed theological knowledge of their former religion, identify a single moment when they ‘converted’ to atheism, or explain their experiences using terminology that did not reflect how they understood their own beliefs.

The toolkit recognises and grounds the lived experiences of people who are ex-religious, centring their journeys of leaving religion and instances of persecution. It considers how their beliefs or worldviews have developed, how leaving religion has shaped their lives and relationships, how they may be perceived and treated by others, and the risks they may face if returned to their country of origin. 

It also warns against treating a lack of documentary evidence as inherently suspicious. People facing persecution for apostasy will often have concealed their beliefs for their own safety, while secular and humanist organisations may be inaccessible or non-existent in their country of origin. In many cases, an individual’s testimony will therefore be the most important evidence available.

Writing in the toolkit’s foreword, advisory group member Fatema said:

‘I hope this toolkit encourages everyone involved in these cases to look beyond the claim and see the person behind it, helping to ensure that the next person who walks this difficult path finds the refuge, care and safety they sacrificed so much to find.’

Humanists UK Support and Advocacy Services Manager Donna Craine commented:

‘This toolkit offers something that has been badly needed. It combines rigorous research with the voices of people who have actually been through the asylum system and turns that learning into practical guidance for the people making decisions and providing support.

We hope it will help decision-makers move away from assumptions about what an apostate or non-religious person should look or sound like, and instead focus on the individual, their experiences, and the risks they genuinely face.’

‘Protecting the Non-Religious: A Toolkit for Recognising and Supporting Asylum Claims Based on Non-Religion and Apostasy’