- Katrine Camilleri
Katrine Camilleri (born,
February 24 ,1970 ), Maltese,lawyer , assistant Director of JRS Malta, holder of the 2007Nansen Refugee Award (United Nations Refugee Award) in recognition of her work for the rights of boat people fleeing across the Mediterranean Sea.Background
Born in 1970 on the island of Malta, Dr Katrine Camilleri studied law and as student she undertook research into access to rights and protection for refugees. After her graduation from the University of Malta in 1994, she began working in a small law firm, where she come into contact with refugees The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue (EYID) 2008 - (2008) [http://www.interculturaldialogue2008.eu/729.0.html] . acessed July 20, 2008.] .
Work
In 2002, the number of asylum seekers and economic migrants arriving in Malta by boat increased sharply, a situation faced by European countries around the Mediterranean. After first helping to prevent the deportation of a Libyan asylum seeker who risked persecution if returned home, Ms. Camilleri’s interest in refugee protection grew and in 1996 [http://ww20.sbs.com.au/podcasting/index.php?action=feeddetails&feedid=22&id=7626 Interview with Marlene Galea on SBS] acessed July 20, 2008. "Note": In most online biographies 1997 is given as Date. In this interview Katrine Camilleri states 1996 as date of enrolement with JRS] . she started to work with the Malta office of
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), first as a volunteer, then part-time and eventually full-time. JRS became the first organization to offer a professional legal service on a regular basis to detainees in Malta. Since 1997, Katrine Camilleri provided legal advice to hundreds of persons kept in administrative detention centres in Malta, focusing her efforts on the most vulnerable.Notes and References
External Links
* [http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news/opendoc.htm?tbl=NEWS&id=46ee38792 Nansen Refugee Award goes to advocate for boat people in Malta]
* [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=23843&Cr=refugee&Cr1=award Maltese lawyer wins top UN refugee award for aiding Mediterranean boat people]
* [http://ww20.sbs.com.au/podcasting/index.php?action=feeddetails&feedid=22&id=7626 Dr. Camilleri talks with Marlene Galea about this award and her work] (Podcast)
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