concerns that the United Kingdom’s counter-terrorism laws and policies, most notably the “Prevent Strategy”, have “created an atmosphere of suspicion towards members of Muslim communities” and encourage impermissible racial, ethnic or religious profiling. 38 In her report following her official country visit to the United Kingdom, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance reported “the large role that mainstream political responses have played in amplifying and legitimating anti-Muslim panic, and even Islamophobia, through rhetoric and policies rooted in the national framework for countering non-violent extremism.” 39 This persistent pattern of difference in treatment could indicate that the deprivation of citizenship from British Muslims is motivated by political and/or discriminatory factors. Specific impact measures regarding deprivation of citizenship have on women Security and counter-terrorism intrusions, harms and human rights violations do not fall equally on men and women and on all women, girls and families. The overregulation and visibility of some families, some women and some girls to the security State operates largely along entrenched racial, ethnic and religious lines. 40 In this regard, The Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls noted in its thematic report on women deprived of liberty that measures to combat terrorism and corresponding national security measures sometimes profile and target women, in particular those from certain groups, and sometimes even women human rights defenders. Women and girls may also be targeted and detained based on their religion, ethnicity, tribal identity or place of origin. 41 In its report on discrimination against women in political and public life with a focus on political transition and its position paper on discrimination against women in nationality, the Working Group stated that women and girls belonging to minority communities, rural and indigenous women, migrant women, refugee women and those seeking asylum, and poor women face discriminatory practices in the implementation of laws on nationality and citizenship. They face prejudicial attitudes as well as structural obstacles which might limit access to civil and political rights and may jeopardize the enjoyment of the wide range of rights to their underage children who are their dependents. Without such access, women from these communities become disproportionately vulnerable due to the uncertain legal status which affects the exercise of other rights as citizens and their underage children. In addition, emotional suffering caused by family separation can impact the wellbeing of mothers and their children in violation of their right to health. 42 In the application of the measures discussed in this letter, we stress the critical need to understand that women’s and girls’ association with terrorist groups can be highly complex, notably regarding the distinction between victims and perpetrators. 38 39 40 41 42 UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, ‘Concluding observations on the combined twentyfirst to twenty-third periodic reports of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ (2016), CERD/C/GBR/CO/21-23, para. 18. See also ‘Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association on his follow-up mission to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ (2017), A/HRC/35/28/Add.1, para. 8. ‘Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance on her mission to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ (2019), A/HRC/41/54/Add.2, para. 46. UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, A/HRC/46/36, paras. 4 and 10. UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls, A/HRC/41/33, para. 73. UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls, A/HRC/23/50, para. 86. 9