of members of the household with UNHCR. Current registration information should be recorded in the
appropriate sections of the RSD Application Form and/or on the UNHCR case management database.
Information and advice to Applicants relating to the substantive elements of the refugee claim may only
be provided by UNHCR Protection staff members who are responsible for RSD. Where Registration
Interviews or counselling sessions are conducted by Registration staff who are not responsible for RSD,
the Registration staff should receive precise instructions on the content and scope of the information
they should provide to Applicants.
3.2.6 Registration Interview of Family Members and Dependants
As a standard procedure, all accompanying adult family members/dependants of the Refugee Status
Applicant should have an individual and confidential Registration Interview, whether they apply for
refugee status in their own right or for derivative refugee status.
Registration Staff should ensure that persons claiming derivative refugee status as family members/
dependants of a Refugee Status Applicant are aware of the relevant eligibility criteria and the right to
make an independent refugee status claim where they have individual protection needs.
UNHCR standards for the protection of refugee women require that UNHCR staff take all possible
measures to ensure that women have access to UNHCR registration and RSD procedures and receive
any necessary assistance and support in these procedures. In certain cultures or family units, women
who have grounds to make a refugee claim may be reluctant to make an independent claim, or may be
discouraged from doing so. All Registration staff should be sensitized to this issue and should use gender
and culturally sensitive interviewing techniques to create an atmosphere of trust in which women who
may have individual protection needs feel comfortable to discuss them with UNHCR staff (see also § 3.4.4
– Women with Specific Needs). Similar considerations should apply to Registration Interviews or other
registration activities with children who may not fully understand UNHCR procedures or whether they
would have grounds for making independent refugee status claims. UNHCR Registration staff should use
a child-friendly and age-appropriate approach in interactions with child Applicants (for further guidance
on procedural safeguards and measures relating to child Applicants see also § 3.4.6 – Child Applicants/
Unaccompanied and Separated Children and § 2.8 – Children in UNHCR RSD Procedures).
As some individuals who have experienced persecution may not have disclosed the details of the
persecution to family members, they may be reluctant to initiate an independent refugee status claim
out of concern that the information they provide will be shared with their family members. This may
be particularly relevant for individuals who have experienced gender-related persecution or sexual
violence. Registration staff should therefore emphasize the confidentiality of UNHCR procedures, and,
in particular, the fact that the RSD Interview will be conducted without any other family member present
and that no information will be shared with them without the Applicant’s prior consent.
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Procedural Standards for RSD under UNHCR’s Mandate
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