Gendered experiences in the legal system: refugee and migrant women with Hana Marku
Hana Marku is an immigration and refugee lawyer in Toronto, Canada. She practices law at Marku & Lee Immigration and Refugee Lawyers, where she is a principal lawyer alongside her firm partner Damey Lee. She has lived between Canada and Kosova, having gone back and forth a few times. She was formerly a writer, editor, and researcher based in Prishtina, focused on gender equality and transitional justice. She loves chocolate, swimming, reading, and occasionally throwing a rock into the machine of the immigration system.
In this episode of Diasporas Speaking, we'll dive into the complex realities of immigration and how different social positions shape people's experiences when moving to a new country. Women, in particular, often face more significant challenges, whether they're coming on family visas to join their spouses, seeking asylum, or worse, when they're trafficked and left vulnerable outside the protection of the law. Their legal status can severely limit their ability to stay in the country and their access to work and essential services like social benefits.Rather than simply granting or denying entry, immigration and asylum systems create a hierarchy. Research shows that women face disproportionate struggles throughout their migration journeys, often finding themselves marginalised, with their voices going unheard and their concerns largely ignored. This leaves them navigating a new, unfamiliar environment with little support or agency.
Intro music: North-Albanian Instrumental.
Interlude: Andrra - 'Shen Gjergji'
