19 Countries Where Domestic Violence Leads to Asylum Claims

Last updated: 5 October 2026

Photo: WWPW-2014-DRizzico-21 - David Rizzic

DV asylum countries span every region of the world. Domestic violence leads to asylum claims when the state fails to protect victims. This is not about individual bad marriages. It is about countries where the legal system, the police, and the courts consistently leave women without protection. In this article, we examine 19 DV asylum countries where this pattern is documented and well-established. These countries appear regularly in asylum tribunals across the UK, US, Canada, and Europe.[1]

For expert witnesses and asylum lawyers, knowing which countries have systemic state protection failures is essential. The list below is based on our expert witness database, UNHCR guidance notes, tribunal decisions, and reports from human rights organisations. For a full explanation of when domestic violence becomes persecution under refugee law, see our article on domestic violence as persecution.

Methodology

This list is based on several sources. First, we looked at our database of expert witness reports and the countries they most often cover for DV-related asylum claims. Second, we reviewed UNHCR guidance notes and eligibility guidelines. Third, we examined tribunal and court decisions from the UK, US, Canada, and EU member states. Finally, we used country reports from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the US State Department, and the UK Home Office.[2]

The key factor for every country on this list is the same: the law may exist, but enforcement fails. Police do not respond properly. Courts are slow or biased. Protection orders are not monitored. Shelters are few or absent. The result is that women face repeated violence with no real protection from the state.

South Asia: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka

Pakistan

Pakistan is one of the most common source countries for DV asylum claims. About 32% of women report experiencing physical violence from a spouse. However, the true figure is likely much higher. Honour-based violence adds extreme danger. The jirga (tribal council) system often forces women back to abusive husbands. Police routinely refuse to register First Information Reports (FIRs) from women. The Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Act 2006 improved the law on paper, but enforcement remains extremely weak.[3]

India

India passed the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act in 2005. It is a strong law that covers physical, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse. However, 70% of victims never report. Police pressure women to "compromise" with their husbands. Protection Officers are understaffed and under-trained. Courts face delays of years. Rural areas have almost no services. Caste dynamics make things worse for lower-caste women. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) found that 30% of women aged 18-49 experienced spousal violence.[4]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh has high rates of DV. About 54% of women have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner. The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2010 exists, but few women know about it. Police stations rarely have trained officers for DV. Shelters are almost nonexistent outside Dhaka. The shalish (village mediation) system often pressures women to stay with abusive husbands. Acid attacks remain a serious problem.[5]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka passed the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act in 2005. Courts can issue protection orders. However, enforcement is poor. Police treat DV as a family matter in most cases. There are very few shelters. Women in rural and war-affected areas in the north and east face extra barriers. The legacy of the civil war has left many women without family support networks.

Middle East: Iran, Iraq, Turkey

Iran

Iran has no specific domestic violence law. The Civil Code gives husbands the legal right to "discipline" their wives. Article 1108 allows a husband to deny maintenance if a wife is "disobedient." Women need their husband's permission to travel or get a passport. Police do not intervene in DV cases. There are almost no shelters. Divorce is extremely difficult for women to obtain. Iran is one of the DV asylum countries where the state itself creates the conditions for abuse.[6]

Iraq

Iraq's Penal Code Article 41 allows a husband to punish his wife "within certain limits prescribed by law or by custom." In the Kurdistan Region, a DV law was passed in 2011 and is somewhat better enforced. In the rest of Iraq, there is no specific DV law. Honour killings receive reduced sentences under Article 409. Shelters are very few and face social hostility.

Turkey

Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention in 2021. This was a major step backward. Although Law No. 6284 on domestic violence still exists, enforcement has weakened. The number of women killed by partners or family members has increased. Protection orders are often violated without consequences. Turkey is a DV asylum country that was once improving but has now reversed course.[7]

Central America: Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala

The "Northern Triangle" countries have some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. Gang involvement often overlaps with domestic violence. Women who try to leave abusive partners connected to gangs face death threats. Police are either corrupt, afraid, or both.

Honduras

Honduras has the highest rate of femicide (murder of women) in Latin America. About 6 out of every 100,000 women are murdered each year. The DV law exists, but police rarely enforce it. Only 10% of reported cases lead to any legal action. Many women cannot report because the abuser has connections to gangs or police.[8]

El Salvador

El Salvador passed a comprehensive DV law in 2012. However, violence against women remains extreme. Gang control of entire neighbourhoods means that women cannot access police or courts. The conviction rate for DV cases is below 5%. Shelters are very limited.

Guatemala

Guatemala has a Femicide Law (Decree 22-2008) that creates special courts for violence against women. In practice, these courts are underfunded and overwhelmed. Indigenous women face additional barriers of language and discrimination. Many DV cases are never reported because women do not trust the police.

In the Northern Triangle, the combination of gang violence, state corruption, and gender inequality creates conditions where women face persecution with no prospect of state protection.
UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines for Honduras, 2024

Africa: Somalia, DRC, Nigeria, Kenya

Somalia

Somalia has no functioning state protection system for DV victims. There is no specific DV law. Customary law and Sharia law are applied by clan elders, and both systems generally favour men. Female genital mutilation (FGM) affects 98% of women. Internally displaced women face the highest risk. Al-Shabaab-controlled areas have no access to any legal protection.[9]

Democratic Republic of Congo

The DRC has experienced decades of conflict. Sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war. Domestic violence is also widespread. The law criminalises DV (Family Code 2016), but enforcement is nearly nonexistent. Police demand bribes to investigate. Courts are inaccessible in most rural areas. Eastern provinces remain particularly dangerous for women.

Nigeria

Nigeria passed the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP) in 2015. However, it only applies in the Federal Capital Territory. Each state must pass its own version. As of 2025, only 17 of 36 states have done so. In northern states, Sharia law applies and often overrides federal protections. Police stations rarely have gender desks. DV is widely seen as a private family matter.[10]

Kenya

Kenya has the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act (2015). It provides for protection orders. However, many women do not know their rights. Police often tell women to go home and sort things out with their husbands. Shelters are very few. In rural and pastoral areas, customary law gives men authority over women. The law-to-enforcement gap is wide.

Post-Soviet: Russia, Georgia, Tajikistan

Russia

Russia decriminalised first-offence domestic violence in 2017. Battery by a family member is now an administrative offence, punishable only by a fine. Second-offence battery remains criminal, but prosecution rates are very low. There is no specific DV law, no system of protection orders, and no network of state-funded shelters. About 16,000 women die each year from DV-related causes, according to Russian NGO estimates. For more on Russia, see our country reports.[11]

Georgia

Georgia has a DV law (2006) and criminal penalties for domestic violence (since 2012). Protection orders and restraining orders are available. However, police treat DV as a family matter. Orders are frequently violated without consequences. Shelters have about 100 places for the entire country. Multiple reports to police often result in no real action. GREVIO has criticised Georgia's response.[12]

Tajikistan

Tajikistan passed a DV law in 2013. However, DV is deeply normalised. About 36% of women believe a husband is justified in beating his wife. Police almost never intervene. The law requires mediation before criminal proceedings, which pressures women to reconcile. There are very few shelters and no functioning protection order system.

Balkans: Albania, Kosovo

Albania

Albania has DV legislation and a protection order system. However, GREVIO found serious enforcement problems. Protection orders are routinely violated. Violations are rarely prosecuted. Shelters have limited capacity. In rural areas, the Kanun (customary law code) still influences attitudes. Blood feuds and honour-based practices complicate DV cases. Albania is one of the most common DV asylum countries in UK tribunals.[13]

Kosovo

Kosovo has a Law on Protection Against Domestic Violence (2010). Protection orders are available. However, enforcement is inconsistent. Police respond to DV calls, but follow-up is poor. Shelters exist but are overcrowded. Economic dependence keeps many women trapped. The patriarchal family structure in rural Kosovo makes it very hard for women to leave abusive homes.

Complete Overview: 19 DV Asylum Countries

Table 1: Overview of 19 DV asylum countries. Prevalence data from WHO, DHS, and national surveys. Police and shelter ratings based on UNHCR, HRW, and COI reports.

DV Prevalence by Country

Figure 1: DV prevalence rates by country. Sources: WHO (2021), DHS surveys, NFHS-5, national statistics. Note: actual rates are likely higher due to underreporting.

What Makes These Countries Different

Most of these 19 DV asylum countries share one key feature: the law exists, but enforcement fails. This gap between written law and reality is the critical factor in asylum claims. A country can have a perfect DV law on paper. If the police do not respond, if courts do not prosecute, and if shelters do not exist, the law means nothing.

Several common patterns appear across these countries:

• Police treat DV as private: Officers tell women to go home and resolve the issue with their family.
• Protection orders are not enforced: Orders exist on paper but are violated without any consequence for the abuser.
• Shelters are scarce: Many countries have fewer than 100 shelter places for millions of women.
• Customary law overrides state law: Tribal, religious, or traditional systems pressure women to stay.
• Reporting makes things worse: In some countries, going to the police leads to retaliation from the abuser or his family.

How Expert Witnesses Cover These Countries

An expert witness for a DV asylum claim must provide specific, evidence-based analysis of state protection in the relevant country. General statements that "DV is a problem" are not enough. The expert must address the specific enforcement gaps, the availability of shelters, the police response patterns, and the viability of internal relocation.

For each of these 19 countries, expert witnesses draw on country of origin information (COI) from multiple sources. These include UNHCR guidance notes, UK Home Office Country Policy and Information Notes, US State Department reports, and reports from organisations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The expert then applies this evidence to the individual facts of the case.

Expert reports are particularly important in cases where the Home Office or immigration judge believes that state protection is available. The expert can show, with detailed evidence, that this is not the case. For example, an expert on Albania might explain that protection orders are violated in 60% of cases with no consequences. An expert on India might explain that only 14 out of 29 states have appointed enough Protection Officers under the 2005 Act.[14]

Conclusion

These 19 DV asylum countries represent a cross-section of the global failure to protect women from domestic violence. They come from every region. They have different legal systems, cultures, and levels of development. However, they share a common problem: the state does not protect women from violence at home. This failure creates the conditions for asylum claims under the 1951 Refugee Convention.

For asylum decision-makers, the evidence is clear. In these countries, reporting to the police is often useless or dangerous. Protection orders go unenforced. Shelters are scarce or nonexistent. Internal relocation is rarely viable. Understanding these patterns is essential for fair and informed decision-making in DV asylum cases. The gap between law and practice in these countries is not a small imperfection — it is a systemic failure that leaves women at serious risk of harm.[15]