Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 12:30 p.m.
Room 200, Graduate Student Centre (6371 Crescent Road), UBC Point Grey Campus
Supervisor: Dr. Beth Haverkamp (ECPS)
Supervisory Committee: Dr. Catherine Dauvergne (Law) & Dr. Victoria Smye (Nursing)
University Examiners: Dr. Richard Young (ECPS) & Dr. Judith Lynam (Nursing)
External Examiner: Dr. Lawrence Gerstein (Ball State University) and Dr. Amanda Kenny (La Trobe University)
Title: “The Operationalization of Vulnerability in the Canadian Refugee Determination Arena: An Interpretive Description Study.”
ABSTRACT
This study utilized Interpretive Description (Thorne, 2008) as a methodology to investigate the manner in which guidelines on vulnerability are currently operationalized within the refugee determination arena in Canada, in order to determine whether their application ensures fairness and appropriate protections for vulnerable claimants.
Consistent with Interpretive Description, this study generated qualitative data from multiple sources, which were theoretically and purposively selected. Four distinct source groups provided data at different levels of analysis: government documents and official statements offered insight into the systemic level, key professional informants provided access to the organizational level, recent refugee claimants provided information on the individual level, and the collected documentation of a small number of refugee claims provided examples of particular instances while shedding light on the functioning of the refugee determination arena as a whole.
I found that, given the inconsistencies in the operationalization of vulnerability, vulnerable claimants aren’t assured of protection within the refugee determination system when mental health symptoms cause impaired functioning in the tasks associated with the refugee claim process, when cognitive, emotional or interpersonal processes block disclosure, and when claimants experience barriers and biases in the refugee determination system. Findings also highlighted the potential for vulnerability that accrues with significant unmet settlement needs and experiences of detention on arrival in Canada. The findings revealed conceptual problems and systemic barriers that prevent full and effective implementation of the vulnerability guidelines, and suggest how these could be ameliorated by a trauma-informed approach, which integrates psychological knowledge and accounts for the diversity and complexity of claimant’s experiences.