GAIA- Gendered Experiences in Asylum Institutions and Accommodation: a new food insecurity framework

Why is the research needed?

While food insecurity among refugees in high-income countries is well documented, existing research focuses largely on those with access to welfare systems or living in settled conditions. Far less attention has been paid to asylum seekers living in contingency accommodation, often for prolonged periods due to asylum backlogs and appeals, where food provision is externally controlled, highly regulated and outsourced. Existing frameworks overlook institutional conditions like restricted cooking facilities, limited control over what and when people eat, low-quality and culturally inappropriate food. As a result, current evidence, measures and policy misrecognise or undercount food insecurity affecting women in official asylum settings.

What are we doing?

Through collaboration between researchers, women with lived experience and support organisations, GAIA will build a proof-of-concept framework and methodological infrastructure for a new field of enquiry regarding food insecurity and gendered inequality in asylum governance; and a network for developing future measurement tools,
policy interventions and larger funding applications.

How are we working with communities, services and organisations?

We are working with NGOs across the country and internationally to:

• Develop the concept of institutional food insecurity
• Collect data on how institutional contexts shape food insecurity in asylum accommodation
• Co-produce a proof-of-concept framework

What will the impact and benefits of this research be?

GAIA will help establish a new field of enquiry regarding food insecurity and gendered inequality in asylum governance. This is needed to inform policy and NGO support of vulnerable migrant groups and to develop future measurement tools. In order to address food insecurity, it is necessary to understand its drivers and measure its prevalence. In which case, we will ultimately contribute towards understanding of improvements to the plight of women in the asylum system.

What do we have planned for knowledge mobilisation and implementation?

Via the networks and collaborations that are established as part of the project.

Related papers, outputs and resources

Outputs will be added when available.