16 October 2013: credibility, HHC, iarlj, manual, training

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee publishes a training manual on credibility assessment in asylum procedures

“Credibility assessment is undoubtedly one of the most challenging aspects of asylum decision-making. An important part of claims for international protection are rejected based on the justification that the determining authority or court does not believe what the applicant says. While in recent decades there has been spectacular advancement regarding the legal standards and relevant concepts of international refugee law, credibility has to some extent remained out of focus. This training manual aims to fill an important gap, by offering a creative, multidisciplinary learning method on credibility assessment, tailored to the needs of asylum decision-makers and other asylum professionals.

This manual does not offer magic tricks, techniques or solutions to overcome the serious challenges of credibility assessment – simply because no such tricks exist. What we offer is a framework for developing knowledge, skills and attitude through multidisciplinary learning, which can help asylum professionals to reduce the possibility of errors, reach more objective and fair credibility findings, as well as to apply a more structured approach to credibility assessment.

This is not an academic publication. Many of the issues covered in the two modules are of a complex and challenging nature and this publication does not aim to provide a detailed, scientific analysis. It rather strives to offer an easily digestible, concise – yet valuable – summary of what decision-makers and other asylum professionals need to know about the key issues related to credibility assessment. [...]

This manual, more precisely its Module B, will be completed by a second volume (expected publication in 2014). Volume 2 will include specific chapters on language and interpretation; shame, stigma and denial; gender; sexual orientation and gender identity; and children.” (HHC, 2013, Introduction)

HHC – Hungarian Helsinki Committee: Credibility Assessment in Asylum Procedures – A Multidisciplinary Training Manual – Volume 1, 2013

This study has been prepared in the framework of the “CREDO – Improved Credibility Assessment in EU Asylum Procedures” project, led by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee. Project partners were the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Association of Refugee Law Judges (IARLJ) and Asylum Aid (UK). The project was co-funded by the European Commission. This manual has been drafted in close cooperation with the UNHCR.

(via Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

See also the following publications of the CREDO project:

UNHCR study on credibility assessment in asylum procedures in the EU

IARLJ – International Association of Refugee Law Judges: Assessment of Credibility in Refugee and Subsidiary Protection claims under the EU Qualification Directive – Judicial criteria and standards, 2013