Exclusive: The Home Office has faced fresh fury and ridicule after creating the nine-page guide – Understanding Behaviours and Expectations in the UK.
Andy Burnham is facing a migrant crisis (Image: Getty)
Asylum seekers helped immigration officials write “absurd” leaflets telling them not to rape or beat women, the Daily Express can reveal. The Home Office has faced fury and ridicule after creating the nine-page guide – Understanding Behaviours and Expectations in the UK.
Arrivals are having to be told that “men and women are equal” amid mounting fears over cultural values, safety and integration. And migrants are warned not to make sexual comments towards strangers, whistle at them or make “kissing sounds”. It also warns that sharing intimate photographs without permission is against the law and says domestic abuse can include controlling a partner’s money, movements or clothing.
And the Home Office has now admitted officials spoke to asylum seekers about what needed to be in the document.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “It turns out that the government even consulted illegal immigrants themselves in writing their absurd leaflet – but no sign they spoke to the victims of migrant rape and assault.
“These posters were ridiculous from the outset, and the admission that illegal immigrants themselves helped produce them only makes the case worse.
“This leaflet reveals the truth that Labour try every day to hide – illegal immigrants are a danger to the public, and especially to women and girls.
“The solution isn’t a leaflet asking them nicely not to rape children.
“The solution is the Conservative plan to leave the ECHR and deport all illegal immigrants within a week of arrival. This will protect the public and secure our borders.”
In a startling admission in the booklet for asylum seekers, officials said: “Women do not need permission from a husband, father, brother or any other man to do any of these things.
“Men and women are treated equally by the law, by employers, by schools and by services like hospitals and the police. It is against the law to treat someone unfairly because of their gender.”
Migrants are also being told domestic abuse is illegal and that the age of consent in the UK is 16.
Immigration chiefs warn: “Sex with someone under the age of 16 is a serious crime in the UK. There are no exceptions to this rule. Even if they say yes, it is still illegal. You could go to prison, lose your support and accommodation, and it will affect your asylum claim.”
Migrants are told not to deny children food, or “cut or harm a girl’s genitals”.
The Channel migrant crisis has underwhelmed trust in the asylum system (Image: Getty)
And the staggering advice even details what rape is, insisting that “consent” is needed in every sexual encounter.
The document states: “This means even if you are married or in a relationship with someone, they must consent to sex every time.
“If you have sex with someone without their consent, this is called rape. Rape is a serious crime in the UK. You could go to prison, lose your support and accommodation, and it will affect your asylum claim.”
Guidance published in the booklet for asylum seekers adds: “Someone can change their mind at any time, even if they said yes before.
“If someone is asleep, drunk, or unable to respond, they cannot consent.”
And Border Security Minister Anna Turley has conceded migrants helped design the documents.
She said in a response to a Parliamentary question: “The products were developed through an evidence-informed process involving behavioural expertise, stakeholder engagement and lived experience input from asylum seekers.
“These resources were produced to ensure there was clear and consistent information available to asylum seekers about what is expected of them while they are in the asylum system.”
Former Immigration Minister Kevin Foster told the Daily Express: “It’s mind blowing to hear a Labour minister talk about the “lived experience” of asylum seekers, resulting in a leaflet telling them not to rape or sexually harass women.
“What about the lived experience of victims? It’s an admission that many of those who arrive on small boats are a danger to local communities and have little regard for women’s rights.
“If you need a leaflet to tell you it’s wrong to rape someone, you need to be out of our country.”