The “Protocol for Assistance to Migrant Women” has been elaborated by the NGO SIEMPRE, to provide support and assistance to all migrant women who find themselves living with violence. This document strives to raise awareness and prevent all forms of gender-based violence, amplifying the voices and experiences of migrant women. We apply an intersectional lens to our analysis, to illustrate the full complexity of the migrant lived experience, which are visible by the structural, economic and health ramifications and further injustice and lack of fulfilment of rights.

Aimed at all migrant women, regardless of their legal status or social situation, this protocol can act as a guide for women in vulnerable situations and for the workers who assist this community. Working in silos with social and community workers, this document aims to assist with the recognition of violence and supporting survivors to access assistance, providing the necessary information and explaining the legal and social resources available.

This protocol addresses the complex issue of institution- al violence and offers recommendations for the adoption of policies to empower migrant women to prevent gender-based violence. Using data collected from surveys and interviews, this protocol maps the problem and illustrates the multiple perceptions of violence from the point of view of migrant women. Using the voices of migrant women as a starting point, this document describes how to recognize the signs which may indicate the presence of violence. Then, highlights the “gaps” in the systems which make it difficult or some- times impossible for migrant women or a woman in an irregular migration situation to ask for help and report violence to the police. With this, we offer a new perspective and recommendations for a complex, crucial and under-discussed area.