The ruling guarantees international protection for women subjected to "physical or mental violence" in their homeland, as well as those facing "a real risk of being killed".

The EU court's ruling came following questions from a Bulgarian court on the case of a Turkish woman of Kurdish origin.

The Muslim woman, who applied for international protection in Bulgaria, said she feared for her life if she had to return to Turkey.

She said she was forced to marry by her family and was beaten and threatened by her husband, whom she later divorced.

Women qualify for refugee status where in their homeland, due to their gender, "they are exposed... to physical or mental violence, including sexual violence and domestic violence," the court ruling said.

If they do not qualify for refugee status, women can instead benefit from "subsidiary protection", which allows asylum seekers to remain in the country where they applied but not travel elsewhere in the EU.

Women qualify for subsidiary protection "where there is a real risk of being killed or subjected to acts of violence inflicted by a member of their family or community due to the alleged transgression of cultural, religious or traditional norms," the ruling added.