Europe is deeply split politically about whether or not to open borders for refugees . One of the most contentious cultural issues for refugee integration in Europe is gender norms about how men and women relate with each other . Some – not all – of the refugees come from countries with religious or cultural norms that are more conservative in nature than those in contemporary Europe where gender equality is prized . Refugees from these societies may be accustomed to a higher degree of segregation between men and women and to codes / norms in which women do not show flesh nor public affection and typically wear some form of covering . For these refugees , interactions between men and women in open European society may be a shock . Some may misunderstand social cues and assume that smiling or drinking alcohol with someone constitutes an expression of further interest . They may also have fundamentally different beliefs and values about what it means to be a man or a woman , in direct contradiction to European gender values . It is very important to note that this does not apply to all refugees – but that an element of the European refugee crisis has been the difference in cultural norms and values , especially concerning gender and sexuality .
This tension in values and norms surrounding gender is further complicated by the demographics of refugees and asylum-seekers in Europe . Increasingly , the majority of those seeking refuge in Europe are men , since so many men have fled Syria , Iraq , and Afghanistan to avoid participating in fighting groups . For the year 2015 , over 66 % of adults registered for asylum through Greece and Italy were male , according to the International Organization of Migration ( IOM ). Furthermore , the IOM estimates a shocking 90 % of unaccompanied minors traveling to Europe to be male . This high percentage of young men has begun to affect a gender imbalance in certain age groups in European countries such as Sweden , in which Politico Magazine suggests that by the end of 2015 , there were 123 16-17 year old boys for every 100 girls . These statistics are causing some to worry as various studies have indicated a correlation between an imbalance in a populations ' sex ratio and higher rates of crime and sexual harassment .
A series of alleged sexual assaults on New Year ’ s Eve 2016 – primarily in Cologne , but also in other major German cities such as Hamburg – exacerbated significant public concern in Europe on this issue . Some estimates indicated that over 1,200 women were separated and surrounded by groups of men ( as many as 2,000 perpetrators ) who harassed them , performing theft and sexual assault . Reports have differed concerning how many of the perpetrators were refugees , although many were initially described as of ‘ North African or Arab descent ’ and a public prosecutor claimed that the majority of suspects fell into the general category of refugees "[ with ] various legal statuses , including illegal entry , asylum-seekers and asylum applicants [ which ] covers the overwhelming majority of suspects ,” ( Huffington Post ). Police have been accused of hiding the exact numbers of suspected refugees due to political concerns of increasing antiimmigration sentiment , since the Angela Merkel government had opened Germany ’ s borders to receive 441,900 claims for asylum in 2015 .
Table of Contents | Quick Look | Contact PKSOI Page 29 of 58