Review of the June 2011 UK Border Agency Country of Information Service The Gambia Country of Origin (COI) Report Commissioned by Dr Khalid Koser, Chair of the Independent Advisory Group on Country Information (IAGCI) Prepared by Stephanie Huber and Elizabeth Williams (Asylum Research Consultancy – ARC) and Dr Pamela Kea (University of Sussex) August 2011 Content Background p. 2 Scope of the review p. 2 Methodology p. 3 Executive Summary p. 4 Review p. 6 1 Background Stephanie Huber & Elizabeth Williams – Asylum Research Consultancy (ARC) Stephanie and Elizabeth, specialist COI researchers, both have over four years experience of conducting COI research to support individual asylum and human rights claims at the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS). Upon leaving IAS in September 2010 they set up ‘Asylum Research Consultancy’ (ARC) in order to continue to provide a case-specific COI research service and to undertake research, advocacy and training to improve the quality of refugee status determination (RSD), and in particular, the use of COI. ARC also produces a free bi-monthly COI Update which provides notification of new UK Country Guidance cases, new UKBA COI publications and developments in the top refugee-producing countries. For further information visit www.asylumresearchconsultancy.com or email ARC at
[email protected] Dr Pamela Kea – University of Sussex Dr Pamela Kea, an anthropologist with a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology, has carried out research on gender and processes of socialisation in West Africa and particularly in The Gambia since 1993. She has also lived in The Gambia from 1993 to 1995 and from 1997 to 1998 to undertake research and returns to The Gambia on a regular basis to carry out further research.