INTERIGHTS Europe Programme Litigation Workshop
“Human Security and Migration”
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
INTERIGHTS defends and promotes human rights and freedoms worldwide
through the use of international and comparative law. We achieve this
through a range of activities designed to strengthen human rights
jurisprudence and obtain redress for people whose rights have been
violated. Established in 1982, we provide expertise and advice on human
rights litigation regarding issues of particular international, regional
or national importance. In cases where important principles are at stake
we may act as co-representative, a ‘friend of the court’ (amicus curiae)
or adviser to counsel. We work with local lawyers, judges and NGOs,
strengthening their capacity to defend human rights effectively at both
national and international fora. We support efforts to develop
international and regional human rights standards, often through support
for developing human rights institutions, such as the African Commission
on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the recently established African Court on
Human and Peoples’ Rights and the European Court of Human Rights.
INTERIGHTS’ Europe Programme covering Council of Europe countries within
Central and Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union is pleased to invite
applications for a strategic litigation workshop on “Human Security and
Migration” which will be held in London on 2-3 December 2010. The
workshop is open to lawyers from Council of Europe states within Central
and Eastern Europe, the Baltic States and the Caucasus. To ensure a
fruitful in-depth discussion, only a limited number of places will be
offered.
Throughout the region, migrants – in particular, undocumented/irregular
migrants, unskilled migrant workers, and asylum seekers and refugees –
are vulnerable to a wide range of human rights abuses such as
ill-treatment, arbitrary detention, servitude and forced labour, denial
of access to justice, interference with private and family life, and
denial of access to medical treatment and social services. Moreover,
due to their non-citizen (often irregular) status, migrants can be
denied or severely restricted in their access to legal redress both in
theory and practice.
The workshop’s objectives include:
* bringing together local lawyers engaged in litigation and other
forms of legal advocacy on human security issues in the context of
migration;
* achieving a better understanding of the nature and scale of
violations occurring in this context;
* examining legal strategies to address those violations, including
the identification of applicable legal standards and appropriate
international, regional and national legal fora;
* increasing the participating lawyers’ capacity to litigate abuses of
human rights in the context of migration at international and regional
level, especially before the European Court of Human Rights;
* improving INTERIGHTS’ understanding of the legal challenges existing
in the field of human security and migration and the ways in which we
can participate in addressing them;
* nurturing cooperation between INTERIGHTS and local lawyers on the
thematic issues identified below.
We invite applications from practicing lawyers who have experience of
taking cases involving serious violations of human rights of migrants or
victims of trafficking in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic states
and the Caucasus, especially (but not exclusively) cases falling within
any of these areas:
(a) treatment of asylum seekers and refugees, including issues
arising under Articles 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 14 of the European Convention
of Human Rights, such as violations of the right to life, the
non-refoulement principle in the context of expulsions and deportations,
unlawful detention, ill-treatment in detention, inadequate procedural
guarantees for detainees or persons subject to transfer, such as denial
of access to a lawyer, and discrimination in the application of
immigration rules;
(b) prevention of trafficking and human beings and protection of the
human rights of victims of trafficking, including in the context of
transit countries and countries of origin;
(c) treatment of migrant labourers/undocumented migrants, especially
issues arising under Article 4 (e.g. exploiting their vulnerable
position to deny remuneration or provide grossly inadequate remuneration
for their work; coercing into work by withholding their identity papers
or deliberately failing to regularise their legal status); and Articles
2, 3 and 8 (e.g. poor health and safety standards at work, a lack of
access to health care).
To ensure that the workshop reflects current and emerging trends in
the identified area and is practical use to the participating lawyers,
all applicants are asked to submit the description of a case from their
own practice which is concerned with human rights of migrants,
especially in the thematic areas listed above. The workshop’s agenda
will be shaped by the legal issues arising out of the cases submitted by
the selected participants.
The workshop will be conducted in English. Therefore, it is essential
that participants have a good command of spoken and written English.
All reasonable travel and subsistence costs associated with attendance
at the training will be covered by INTERIGHTS.
For further information, or for a copy of the application form, please
contact Yuri Marchenko at [log in to unmask]
To apply, please email a completed application form to Arpi Avetisyan,
Legal Team Coordinator, at [log in to unmask] The deadline for
applications is Sunday, 24 October 2010. Early applications are strongly
encouraged.
Please send all replies to: [log in to unmask]
INTERIGHTS
The International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights
Lancaster House
33 Islington High Street
London N1 9LH
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7278 3230
Fax: +44 (0)20 7278 4334
Web: http://www.interights.org
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