This is one outlet's own report from Newsweek — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
UK Gives Asylum Seekers Guidance on Sex, Women's Rights
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The United Kingdom has published new guidance for asylum seekers that details the country's laws on consent to sexual activity, gender equality and domestic abuse.
The nine-page document says those living in the U.K. should not "whistle or make kissing noises at someone," make sexual remarks toward another person, or follow someone or block their path.
One section says equal rights for men and women are an "important part" of British culture, with women able to travel independently, attend schools and colleges, choose their marital partners, and earn their own income.
"Women do not need permission from a husband, father, brother or any other man to do any of these things," the document says.
The U.K.'s Home Office said the guidance would help asylum seekers "understand what is expected" of U.K. residents when customs differ from their countries of origin.
Reform U.K., an anti-immigration party, was quick to criticize the document as a "disgrace."
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary for the opposition Conservative Party, also said: "Instead of trying to train these mainly young, male illegal immigrants to behave in a civilized way toward women, they should be deported."
Asylum seekers are people who have fled their home country in search of safety and legal protection from another government. While they are waiting for a decision on whether they can remain in the country, they are restricted on what they can do and are not allowed to work.
Anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise in Europe , driving support for far-right populist parties like the U.K.'s Reform, France's National Rally and Alternative for Germany.
All three have been endorsed or supported by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Trump himself has overseen a hard-line approach to immigration since returning to office, cracking down on illegal migration while also curbing legal avenues .
The White House's official national security strategy, published in November, said Europe was at risk of "civilizational erasure," which the administration attributed in part to "migration policies that are transforming the continent and creating strife."
European centrist parties, attempting to pull voters back from their right-wing opposition, have often toughened up their stances on immigration, which has spiked in some European countries in recent years following conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.
When roughly 72,000 people abruptly flooded into Ceuta, a Spanish city in northern Africa bordering Morocco, between July 30 and 31, the territory's conservative leader said the incident amounted to an "invasion" and called for the "immediate expulsion" of anyone who had arrived illegally.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose government is known for its relatively pro-migration stance in Europe, said some European countries had "polarizing" and "selfish" reactions to Spain's biggest migration crisis in years.
A total of 93,525 people claimed asylum in the U.K. between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, according to Home Office figures published last month. That figure marked a 12 percent drop from the previous year, the U.K. government said.
"Returns of failed asylum seekers have reached their highest level since 2010 under this government," a Home Office spokesperson said.
The document published on Wednesday warns asylum seekers that by not following U.K. laws, they could lose support for their asylum claim.
The guidance says women must never be stopped from working, studying, wearing what they choose or being able to see friends or family members by any relative or spouse.
Asylum seekers in the U.K. are expected to treat family members and partners "with respect," the document says, adding that they should "never physically or verbally abuse or control them."
The guidance also explicitly outlines consent, noting that the age of consent is 16 in the U.K., that it is a "serious crime" to take sexual images of another person without their consent and that sex without consent is rape.
"Rape is a serious crime in the U.K. You could go to prison, lose your support and accommodation, and it will affect your asylum claim."
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Shakeema Edwards .
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.
