Female Refuge

IS THE MALTREATMENT OF WOMEN AS A MATTER OF cultural practice tantamount to political persecution? Yes, say opposition M.P.s and feminist groups demanding that Canada grant refugee status to victims of sex-based persecution. The debate ensnared Immigration Minister Bernard Valcourt, who reversed a decision denying asylum to a Saudi woman who said she feared punishment for refusing to wear a veil if she returned home. Valcourt now promises new guidelines to encompass women whose governments fail to protect them from domestic violence or persecution. Women's rights advocates insist that Canada go further and become the first country to enshrine in law refuge for abused women.