| |
Dr Katrine Camilleri honoured with UNHCR award
Dr Camilleri’s stand for refugee rights and
tolerance honoured
|
JRS Europe is pleased to announce that Dr Katrine Camilleri, Assistant Director JRS Malta, has been
awarded the UNHCR Nansen Refugee award.
This award, now in its 53rd year, is given to an individual
or group for outstanding services in supporting refugee causes.
This years winner, Dr Katrine Camilleri, is a human rights
lawyer active in the defence of the rights of refugees, asylum
seekers and migrants arriving on the shores of Malta. The main
focus of Dr Camilleri’s work, in recent years, has been helping
detainees held in Malta’s four detention facilities.
In the face of growing opposition to those seeking refuge in
Europe, Dr Katrine Camilleri has tirelessly campaigned for the
rights of asylum seekers in detention. For years she was the
only professional visiting detained asylum seekers in Malta. She
has also been significant in influencing government policy and
continues to to at the forefront of the battle to improve
conditions in detention centres. Last year JRS Malta published a
legal guide in several languages for migrants arriving in Malta.
The editor of this book was Dr Camilleri. |
|
Dr Katrine Camilleri, winner of
the UNHCR Nansen Award 2007 |
To find out more about the award, follow this link to the JRS
press release.
Biography
- Dr Katrine Camilleri, Assistant Director, JRS Malta
Read Dr Camilleri's acceptance speech
Comments from JRS Europe Director, Jan Stuyt
Detention in Europe
Dr Camilleri calls on governments present at the 58th annual
gathering of the UN agency governing committee to seek real and
humane alternatives to detention for asylum seekers and refugees
worldwide, and to take concrete steps to counter the xenophobia
faced by refugees.
JRS Europe would like to use this opportunity to provide a
voice to those detained in detention facilities throughout
Europe.
To find out more, follow this link to the JRS press release.
UNHCR Nansen Award
The Nansen Award is named after the Norwegian arctic
explorer Fridtjof Nansen. He was appointed in 1921 by the
UN's predecessor, the League of Nations, to be the first High
Commissioner for Refugees. The Award, consisting of a
medal and a $100,000 monetary prize, is given out yearly to a
person or group for outstanding services in supporting refugee
causes. Previous recipients include Eleanor
Roosevelt, Médecins sans Frontières, Queen Juliana of the
Netherlands and last years winner: Japanese optometrist Dr. Akio
Kanai of Fuji Optical.
For more information on the Nansen Award, follow the link to
the UNHCR website:
www.unhcr.org/events/3fb359bd4.html
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/470138b02.html
JRS Malta
To find out about the work of JRS Malta, visit the country
offices' section of this website or select the links below:
www.jrsmalta.org
www.detention-in-europe.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=183
The JRS Malta Annual Report 2006 is also available. This
provides details of the
different projects run by JRS Malta during 2006, as well
as presenting the main focus of their advocacy work.
JRS Malta Annual Report 2006
Personal Testimonies
We rarely hear the words of someone seeking refuge outside
of their country. Often they are too frightened for their
safety or restricted by the limitations of the asylum system.
However, thanks to the work of JRS Malta, some stories of hardship and pain, but also
hope and faith have been recorded.
|
