LONDON (Diya TV) — British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood warned that women attempting to reach Britain from northern France face sexual violence and exploitation during their migration journeys.
Speaking on The Rest Is Politics: Leading podcast in an episode released Sunday, Mahmood said criminal gangs and traffickers control who reaches northern France and boards boats bound for Britain.
“You can almost guarantee that every woman that’s in the north of France has probably been raped along the journey,” she said.
Mahmood did not cite supporting data during that part of the interview. Her statement represents her assessment, rather than an established measure of how many women have experienced rape.
She said some male migrants also experience abuse and threats. She argued that criminal networks should not determine who reaches Britain and seeks protection.
Alongside changes to immigration and asylum rules, Mahmood said the government would introduce new safe and legal routes later this autumn. She said Britain should select refugees before they arrive and help them integrate.
Her remarks coincided with an anti-migrant protest in Gosport, Hampshire, where rescue boats brought migrants ashore at Haslar Marina on Sunday.
Hampshire police said they arrested twelve people following a public-order incident involving a crowd of about three hundred and fifty. Officers deployed to protect residents and allow emergency services and other agencies to work safely.
The Refugee Council welcomed Mahmood’s acknowledgment of sexual violence but questioned the government’s restrictions on safe routes for asylum seekers. The organization said women and girls fleeing conflict face abuse both in their home countries and during journeys to safety.
