Jamie Bell featured in Free Movement on Afghan Women’s Struggle for Asylum in the UK (13 June 2025)

Jamie Bell, a public law solicitor at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, has been featured on the immigration law blog Free Movement for his article, ‘The Uncertain Future for Afghan Women Seeking Asylum’. In this timely and important piece, Jamie examines the UK’s increasingly restrictive approach to Afghan asylum claims, particularly those made by women, against the backdrop of recently published Home Office immigration statistics.

His article raises serious concerns about the falling recognition rate for Afghan women seeking asylum in the UK. Despite the Taliban’s ongoing and well-documented oppression of women in Afghanistan, the Home Office continues to refuse claims, even in seemingly clear-cut cases.

Jamie points to the refusal of asylum for ‘Mina’ - a prominent Afghan women’s rights defender - as a stark example of how the Home Office appears to be misapplying its own country guidance. In Mina’s case, decision-makers concluded that she would not attract adverse attention from the Taliban and could rely on former support networks—an assessment which Jamie argues is dangerously out of touch with the lived realities of women under Taliban rule.

Drawing on this case and broader data, Jamie argues that the government’s current approach ignores international consensus. Both the European Court of Justice and the UNHCR recognises that the Taliban’s sweeping restrictions on women’s rights, ranging from education and employment bans to forced dress codes and severe limitations on movement, amount to gender-based persecution. The UNHCR has made it clear that Afghan women and girls are likely to be in need of international protection under the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Jamie also critiques the Home Office’s continued reliance on outdated country guidance and flawed internal relocation logic, which fails to reflect the current situation in Afghanistan. He calls for urgent clarity, consistency, and compassion in how Afghan women’s asylum claims are assessed, warning that failure to act could leave already vulnerable women exposed to serious harm.

The article is an important contribution to the ongoing conversation about fairness, credibility, and compassion in UK asylum policy, particularly for vulnerable women fleeing regimes of gender-based oppression.

Read the full article on Free Movement

About the Author

Jamie Bell is a Solicitor within our Public Law team at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. Jamie has extensive experience across a wide variety of complex and high-profile cases, with a particular specialism in representing Afghan clients. His unwavering dedication to his clients is evident in his readiness to undertake cases at a moment's notice, tirelessly working to prevent the unlawful removal of asylum-seekers.

For advice or assistance on any Public Law or Immigration matter, contact Jamie Bell via email at JamieB@duncanlewis.com or by telephone on 02031190384.