Volume 11, Issue 1, May 2012
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Volume 11 Issue 1 Rapporteur Newsletter of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law :: May 2012 Mining, Security and Human Rights Inside . Extradition and mutual assistance changes slip in under the radar . Recent developments concerning the Convention on the Rights of the Child . Are States meeting their responsibilities to trafficked persons? . Global interns return home www.law.monash.edu.au/castancentre Rapporteur News Gala dinner Centre Alumnus Wins announced Monash Medal The 2012 Sir John Monash Medal for refugee students and volunteered as a for 2012 outstanding achievement has awarded to paralegal at various Community Legal On October 25, the Castan Centre Cara Bredebusch. The award, originating Centres. She was also a member of her will again be holding a gala dinner at in 2009, is given each year to an local council’s Youth Advisory Group. She Carousel on Albert Park Lake with undergraduate law student who is judged built on her passion by completing the Noel Pearson AM as the keynote to have an excellent academic record Castan Centre’s Global Internship in 2010- speaker. Mr Pearson will talk and to have demonstrated a significant 2011 where she worked with a refugee about the proposed constitutional commitment, while at Monash, to legal centre in South Africa. The internship recognition of Indigenous Australians. advancing the University’s goals of social was supported by the Monash-Oxfam Following on from the success of justice, human rights and a sustainable program. Upon her return to Australia, 2010’s 10th anniversary dinner, which environment. Cara was an in-house intern at the Castan was attended by 350 people and Cara has been dedicated to social justice Centre and continued to contribute to the featured Michael Kirby and Patrick throughout her academic and professional organisation’s goals. McGorry, the evening promises to be career. She developed her interest and a fantastic event. It will be another Cara is currently completing a traineeship understanding in human rights through great opportunity for the human rights with a law firm, whilst still pursuing her study, extra-curricular activities and community to come together to enjoy personal interest in human rights. She some great food and wine, laugh volunteer work. Cara studied various continues to volunteer at Community human rights law subjects and participated along to the antics of the MCs, and Legal Centres and is also a part of the in the Victorian Charter of Human Rights maybe even place a bid in the charity Starlight Foundation as a ‘wish granter’. and Responsibilities Mooting Competition auction... Whichever direction Cara’s career may in 2010, researching and advocating the take her, she is dedicated to contributing Details are still being finalised, but application of the Charter in Victoria. invitations will be sent out soon. Be to society and will continue to follow her sure to put the date in your diary! As a university student, Cara tutored passion for human rights. New Book on Human Trafficking Recent decades have seen an Through a case study of the social, political and historical factors alarming increase in human Greater Mekong Subregion which form the background to trafficking, through sex trafficking, (GMS) – Cambodia, the Yunnan human trafficking in the GMS. labour trafficking, forced marriages Province of the People’s Republic Prof. Kneebone, a former Deputy and forced adoptions. Over the of China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Director of the Centre, and past few years Professor Susan Dr Debeljak, a Deputy Director, Kneebone and Dr Julie Debeljak Vietnam – this book provides an evaluation of national, regional consider issues of competing have conducted intensive research and international responses to mandates, and gaps in the in this field, particularly in the South the transnational crime of human strategies devised for protection. East Asian region. As a result of trafficking. Drawing observations They also look to the broader that work, they have just published from the findings of a three year lessons that can be learned a new book, Transnational Crime study conducted in the region, from the situation in the GMS, and Human Rights: Responses involving on-the-ground interviews providing valuable suggestions to Human Trafficking in the with more than 60 individuals as to how governments and Greater Mekong Subregion, which from relevant organisations and non-governmental institutions can explores this very issue. agencies, the book examines the attempt to end human trafficking. 2 News 9 UN expert on human trafficking 14 Working with Refugees in Malaysia 4 Sell-out conference addresses speaks out News from our human rights human rights in “closed 10 Why the Convention Against community: PILCH environments” Torture can redress violence against 15 Haiti, not Tahiti women 5 Global Interns Return Home 16 International Criminal Law at 6 Mining, Security and Human Rights 11 Non-violent resistance in the The Hague Middle-East: why it works 7 Extradition and Mutual Assistance 17 Six questions for: André Dao 12 Recent Developments concerning Changes Slip in Under the Radar Where are they now? Jessie Taylor the Convention on the Rights of 8 Cambodian NGO Releases the Child 18 Publications and other activities by Landmark Report on Resettlement Centre faculty members 13 The Right to Health 2 Newsletter of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Newsletter of the Castan Centre for Human Rights An Update on the Accountability Project In a bid to use its expertise to improve Another core activity of the Accountability can’t cover them all in depth, but through legal protections, particularly for vulnerable Project has involved making submissions the Project we aim to give as much air as Australians, the Centre launched its to various government inquiries. The possible to the human rights law perspective Accountability Project in August last year. Centre’s submissions so far in 2012 have in debates on these issues.” The project uses policy work and public included in-depth research papers for the The Accountability Project also engages engagement to highlight weaknesses in Federal Attorney-General’s Department with the human rights debate through the Australia’s protection of human rights. on consolidating anti-discrimination laws mainstream media. Since taking on the Since then, Accountability Project Manager and on the third Optional Protocol to the role, Adam has written for the ABC’s “The Adam Fletcher has been busy with the wide Convention on the Rights of the Child, Drum”, new academic journalism site “The variety of tasks required to keep various and for parliamentary committees on state, territory and federal governments Conversation”, and been interviewed for the Government’s proposal to become accountable. As Adam puts it, “The “New Matilda”. This work adds to the a signatory to the Optional Protocol to Accountability Project is a unique hybrid of Centre’s growing engagement with the the Convention Against Torture; and on policy and academic work; a challenging role media which saw media mentions and mandatory and minimum sentences for which I have enjoyed immensely over the appearances double in 2011. last 10 months. The Project is an interface people smugglers. The latter submission between the Centre and policy-makers, saw one of the Centre’s recommendations With all this work to do, Adam has been external experts and the general public.” directly adopted by the Senate Committee in ably assisted by the Centre’s in-house its final report. interns, who he also manages. Currently, The most public aspect of the project has the bulk of his time is taken up working on At the moment, the Centre’s biggest been Adam’s regular posts for the Centre’s the Alternative Sentencing for Vulnerable policy project is the drafting of a report blog. With seventeen posts since he took Offenders project which is being funded by on the position, Adam has been posting on rates of imprisonment, focusing on the Attorney-General’s Department through every few weeks on topics as diverse vulnerable groups including Indigenous the Grants to Australian Organisations as asylum seekers, the consolidation of Australians, youth and those with a cognitive Program. This research project is due to federal anti-discrimination law, the need disability, and current analysis of utilisation report in June. for better privacy protection in Australia of alternative sentencing options. The and independent oversight of detention report has been commissioned by the The Accountability Project is partly funded by conditions. One blog post, on changes to Commonwealth Government as part of the Helen and Bori Liberman family. extradition and mutual assistance changes, its Human Rights Action Plan. It will be Check out the Castan Centre Blog at was the first piece of public commentary delivered to the Government in June and will castancentre.com. on new legislation that passed unnoticed influence policy in this area. in a week that saw the infamous Labor Castan Centre submissions can be When not working on the report, Adam leadership spill between Julia Gillard and found at www.law.monash.edu.au/ is keeping his eyes on the issues of the Kevin Rudd. The post has gone on to be our castancentre/publications/submissions.html most popular ever. An offline version can be day. As he says, “New issues worthy of read on pg. 7. comment crop up every day, and the Centre Big names headline this year’s conference Global warming, the ‘war’ on obesity and discrimination with Ms Susan Ryan AO, Foreign Minister and CEO of the International social media in the Tunisian revolution are the Commonwealth Age Discrimination Crisis Group, will kick off the afternoon just some of the areas that will be explored Commissioner discussing equality before the session with an in-depth analysis of the during Human Rights 2012, the Castan law in light of age bars in Commonwealth Responsibility to Protect after the recent Centre’s annual conference.