Dr. Salome Mbugua:

I will start with the earlier question on the area of the legal provisions and the policies that we have in place that impact on the lives of migrant women. Even when we describe that, given the work that we do, we are conscious that migrant women are not a homogeneous group. They come from different ethnic backgrounds but also immigration status. It has affected the way they integrate into society and the way they receive support and any other kind of services, including coming out of isolation to look for those services. We spoke so much about if a woman comes as a dependant of her spouse, she comes under that spouse's dependency and she has to be with him so that she can get her residency or, if they are claiming for international protection if they come as a couple, refugee status. One will find quite often that women will not report on what is happening because if they leave that abusive pattern, they will not have access to social welfare because of the habitual residency. Sometimes they are accepted by the refuges, but refuges also have the right not to accept them because of the public funds and the way it works. It is difficult for them.

AkiDwA and some other organisations came together and formed a coalition in 2011 and 2012 and that is how the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, INIS, guidelines, that help women who are experiencing violence to seek independent status, were sought. We are saying that while this is there, and it is a good and welcome development, it is still within the discretion of the Minister. It should be out there and automatic that if a woman who is a dependant of a spouse, where they have type 3 stamp duty because stamp 3 spouses are not allowed to work, she could be able to access social welfare easily and that she can get out of that violent relationship.

Under stamp 3, they were not allowed to work but we know things are changing. We even have some people in international protection now working. These things need to be looked into.

Also, the issue of the family reunification is important. It is maybe not even a partner joining but the family member who can help such a woman to be able to support the family and to support her when she is going through that. In Ireland, we still have significant issues and challenges on family reunification which need to be looked into.

I hope I have addressed that. I do not know whether any of my colleagues want to answer any of the other questions.