Scope An overview of the regions featured in this report The research is intended to give a comparative overview of the way that victims of torture are identified during the asylum procedure and to what extent MLRs are used and accepted as an evidential tool. The three regions covered by the research are: Europe (EU and non-EU countries), North America (Canada and the USA) and the Pacific (Australia and New Zealand). These regions were chosen on the basis that they all have IRCT member centres present that work directly with asylum-seekers and refugees, which are an invaluable primary source of information. In addition, the participating countries in each region are considered by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to be industrialised asylum-receiving countries. According to the UNHCR, the number of asylum applications made in industrialised countries (the regions covered by this research, plus Japan and South Korea) increased by 21 percent (2010/2011) and by a further 8 percent (2011/2012).19 Overall, around 46 percent of asylum claims in the industrialised countries were submitted by individuals from Asia, around 25 percent from Africa, 17 percent from Europe and 8 percent from the Americas.20 The countries receiving the highest number of asylum applicants in 2012 were the USA, Germany, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom.21 In addition, some of the countries in this report — Canada, the USA and Australia — take a large proportion of the world’s resettled refugees.22 Resettlement currently amounts to 80,000 places worldwide annually. However, with the adoption of the joint EU resettlement programme, it is expected that more EU countries will introduce resettlement programmes.23 Europe – Key trends and developments in asylum Asylum in Europe • • • • Asylum procedures in the EU Europe saw a 9 percent increase in asylum applications (2011/2012)24 The EU saw a 40 percent increase in asylum applications but with contrasting trends in the ‘old’ and ‘new’ member states25 The Nordic countries experienced the highest relative increase in asylum applications compared to 2011 (38 percent)26 The southern European countries reported a significant drop in new asylum claims (-27 percent) compared to 2011.27 The Common European Asylum System (CEAS)28 includes a number of EU directives aimed at harmonising asylum systems within the EU by laying down minimum standards that EU Member States must transpose into their national asylum legislation. The directives with most relevance to the treatment of victims of torture are the Reception Conditions Directive, the Qualification Directive and the Asylum Procedures Directive.29 In order to prevent asylum applicants making multiple claims within the EU, Member States have also agreed to terms under which an asylum applicant can be returned to the first EU Member State where he made an asylum application (Dublin II Regulation).30 The goal of achieving a harmonised asylum system is far from being attained, evidenced by the numerous reports highlighting breaches of asylum-seekers’ fundamental rights and inconsistent standards by which many Member States have implemented the EU directives.31 The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), in ... Recognising victims of torture in national asylum procedures / 15