Asylum seekers given leaflet explaining sex and consent guidance in UK

Understanding behaviours and expectations in the UK: a guide for asylum seekers

Asylum seekers in the UK have been given a document detailing ‘rules and expectations’ of living in the UK, including sex and consent.

The guidance forms part of a Home Office document entitled ‘Understanding behaviours and expectations in the UK’, which also provides guidance on gender equality and respect in public.

The nine-page document says it is to help ‘understand what is expected of you when living in the UK’ and stresses that the ‘rules and expectations are not just for people seeking asylum, they apply to everyone living here.’

It advises that rape, sex with someone under the age of 16 and domestic abuse are serious crimes which could lead to prison and loss of support and accommodation, as well as affecting asylum claims.

A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘We expect everyone who comes to the UK to abide by our laws. If they do not, they will face consequences, including the refusal of their asylum claim and removal from the UK.

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‘Returns of failed asylum seekers have reached their highest level since 2010 under this Government.’

DOVER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 17: An RNLI lifeboat delivers migrants to Dover port after intercepting a small boat crossing on December 17, 2025 in Dover, England. After a lull in the number of migrants arriving to the UK in small boats across the English Channel from France, good weather conditions have seen nearly 800 arrive in the last week. Arrivals by small boat from 1 January 2025 to 14 December 2025 are 40,081, a 14% increase on the same period in 2024. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

In the section ‘Sex and Consent’, the guidance tells asylum seekers that consent is needed in every situation.

The guidance also covers gender equality, saying equal rights are ‘an important part of UK culture… protected by law.’

It also calls for respect for others ‘even if you disagree with their beliefs or how they live’ and provides helplines for those affected by abuse.

One page read: ‘In the UK, both people must say yes to sex. This is called consent. It is still rape if you are married to the person or in a relationship.’

Other pages urged asylum seekers not to make sexual remarks about someone, even if they mean it as a compliment.

People take part in a protest outside RAF Barnham in Thetford, Norfolk which could be used to house asylum seekers. The Home Office announced in June that it was considering using Barnham Camp to accommodate people seeking asylum, and there have since been regular peaceful protests at the site. But tensions flared in nearby Thetford, Norfolk, this week when people attempted to storm homes linked to asylum seekers and police officers were assaulted in three nights of unrest. Picture date: Sunday August 9, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wire

‘Kissing sounds’, whistling, following someone, making offensive gestures, and verbal abuse are also discouraged.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said on X: ‘Instead of trying to train these mainly young, male illegal immigrants to behave in a civilised way towards women, the Home Office should instead deport them.

‘This tells us all we need to know about the kind of people illegally entering our country. Illegal and legal immigrants are coming from places and societies where attitudes towards women are completely incompatible with Western society.’

In a video posted on X, Reform Home Affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf described the guidance as a ‘disgrace’.

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Original source Asylum seekers given leaflet explaining sex and consent guidance in UK

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