Back to Contents Background on the research project This report forms part of a project to produce a series of reports that present new and innovative forms of COI, generated by conducting interviews alongside existing sources. Previous iterations of this project were published in partnership between Asylos and ARC Foundation. Past reports have covered topics related to asylum seekers in the UK for whom an absence of country information forms a barrier to protection. Previous reports include: Asylos/ARC Foundation, Nigeria: Children and Young People with Disabilities, October 2021 Asylos/ARC Foundation, Ghana: State treatment of LGBTQI+ persons, March 2021 Asylos/ARC Foundation, Vietnam: Returned victims of trafficking, May 2020 Asylos/ARC Foundation, Albania: Trafficked Boys and Young Men, May 2019 Asylos, Afghanistan: Young male ‘Westernised’ returnees to Kabul, August 2017 (Pilot report) Acknowledgements This report was written by Agathe Menetrier, Fatima Ali, Emily Wilbourn and Sophie Kloos, with insightful lived experience and expert knowledge on the subject provided by Walaa Kayyal and members of our Steering Committee (Judith Carter, Shahd Qannam, Thomas McGee and Elizabeth Ruddick). Critical research assistance was provided by Asylos members (Anna Magyarlaki, Chunyuan Hu, Dina Baslan, Fariah Mahadi, Feline Lucas, Francesca Pierigh, Giulia Gizzi, Kauthar Menhal, Laurence Hamid, Lucia Linares, Patrick Annez de Taboada, Priyam Yarnell, Tahmima Begom, and Zainab Ekrayem). Additionally, we would like to express our gratitude to our colleagues at ACCORD and the European Network on Statelessness (ENS) for their crucial peer assessment of this report’s initial draft as well as their support and advice during the entire process. The generous financial support provided by the Trust for London for this project is greatly appreciated. Design by Iris Teichmann. Feedback and comments Please help us to improve and to measure the impact of our publications. We would be extremely grateful for any comments and feedback as to how the reports have been used in the refugee status and statelessness determination process, or beyond. If you would like to provide feedback, please contact info@asylos.eu. Who we are Asylos is a global network of volunteers providing free-of-charge Country of Origin Information (COI) research for lawyers helping people seeking international protection with their claim. Asylos works to ensure that people seeking international protection and their legal counsel have access to crucial sources and data to substantiate their claim. Asylos volunteers and staff use their research and language skills to access detailed information. More information can be found on Asylos’ website. Background on the research project 12