Constructing Vulnerability and Victimhood at the EU Border

Abstract

This intervention explores the ways in which gendered and racialized constructions of vulnerability and victimhood are politically contested and mobilized in asylum procedures and support. In the context of asylum and migration policy, the concepts of victimhood and vulnerability have been drawn upon by governments and international institutions to construct notions of who should and should not have access to reception support such as housing, food, and mental health care. They feed into narratives surrounding the “deserving” and “undeserving” poor, by using the language of “refugees” and “asylum seekers” pitted against “economic migrants.” They draw on racialized and gendered assumptions, often premised on heteronormative understandings of gender that marginalize and silence groups and individuals. They rely on an underlying assumption that frames “womenandchildren” as one homogenous group, standing in contrast to other less deserving groups not genuinely in need of international protection. This can leave under-supported groups such as LGBTQI1 individuals as well as young men traveling alone—who are routinely portrayed as able to game asylum systems—underserved by support organizations or on lengthy waiting lists. Bringing an intersectional lens to bear on the construction of victimhood and vulnerability challenges some of the inherent assumptions present when groups