Women, in particular, suffer violations on the basis of their sex which lead many to leave their own countries and arguably constitute grounds for legal asylum.
In 1993, Canada announced that it had given permission for a Saudi Arabian woman to remain after she said she would be in grave danger if she returned home because of her views on the status of women there. The Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board has reportedly made a recommendation that the "refugee" include women who can demonstrate that their countries do not provide adequate protection from sexual abuse, domestic violence, and genital mutilation, among other things.