2009 Castan Centre Intern

Jessica Malin, Oxfam, South Africa

Report

When I left Australia, I had absolutely no idea what to expect from the internship at Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) in Durban, South Africa. The program is in its infancy and the details of my role in the organisation were still being finalised by the respective stakeholders.  I knew very little about post-apartheid South Africa, except that it has incredibly high crime rates and has been tragically affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Along with my fellow interns, I began the program with orientation in Johannesburg where we visited the Apartheid Museum and the Hector Pieterson monument in Soweto. We also witnessed extreme poverty in a township close to the Monash South Africa campus (which I found to be in stark contrast to the immensely wealthy, predominantly white, security obsessed Estates just down the road) and these experiences marked the beginning of my understanding of this complex and troubled country.

We then settled into Durban and I began work at LHR’s Refugee Rights Project. I was seeing clients on my first day, and saw approximately twenty clients each day for the duration of the internship. LHR provides free legal advice and assistance to an enormous (and at times overwhelming) volume of asylum seekers and refugees who are desperately in need of these services. Without the representation provided by the dedicated staff at LHR, the voices of this vulnerable and traumatised group of people would not be heard. My role included advising clients of their rights under South African refugee law, researching their countries of origin in support of their applications for refugee status, writing letters to the Department of Home Affairs on behalf of my clients requesting extensions of asylum seeker permits, lodging appeals and applying for certification (which leads to permanent residency) and conducting informal refugee status determination interviews. I listened in amazement and often horror at my clients’ stories of persecution in countries such as Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and began to understand the catastrophic impact of the crisis in Zimbabwe. I don’t think I will ever cease to be mortified by the suffering human beings are capable of inflicting upon one another, nor do I ever want to become desensitised to such terrible human rights atrocities.

I learnt a great deal about South African and international refugee law and developed a profound respect for the resilient people who work in such an emotionally exhausting area of law! Refugees are in many ways considered to be a nuisance or a burden by governments all around the world and as a result, organisations working in refugee law are often underfunded, under-resourced and undervalued. The legal framework in which organisations like LHR operate is beset with restrictive definitions and complex legal concepts which make the law difficult to apply and almost impossible to explain to clients, especially without adequate translation services. The days are long and mentally taxing, and the work can be quite challenging, but it is rewarding nonetheless.

The thing that affected me the most during my time at LHR were the individual stories of courage and determination that my clients shared with me. After listening to people talk about the awful things they had seen and experienced, it was uplifting to learn that they never stopped fighting and striving to make their lives better.

I came away from the internship experience feeling so lucky to have been given an opportunity to work with amazing people and contribute to a project that has so much value. I learnt so much, not just about human rights or refugee law, but about people’s experiences and how they cope with life’s toughest challenges.  I’d like to thank all the people at the Castan Centre, for selecting me and supporting me, all my fellow interns who made my experience fun and entertaining, all the staff at Monash both in Australia and South Africa for their guidance and assistance, and all those at Oxfam and Lawyers for Human Rights for being such a great inspiration during my time in South Africa.

Profile

Recently, Jessica headed off for a short stint volunteering in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  Jessica found the experience so rewarding that she eventually stayed for five months, volunteering both in an orphanage where she taught English, and at a day centre for street children where she served as Special Projects and Volunteer Co-ordinator.  Seeing the impact of poverty and illness first hand has inspired Jessica to pursue opportunities in the field of human rights.

Jessica’s interest in her community began when she volunteered with St Vincent de Paul in high school, serving food at a soup kitchen in Melbourne. She has volunteered at the Springvale Monash Legal Service for the past 2 years providing assistance to sexual assault victims in their Victims of Crime Assistance applications.

Throughout her studies Jessica Malin has focused on global politics, international issues and human rights law. Jessica’s interest in human rights and social justice has been enhanced through her volunteering locally and abroad.

Jessica is incredibly excited to be working with Oxfam in South Africa and is looking forward to learning about the work being done in the area of HIV and AIDS and contributing to this very valuable program.

Jessica is in her 5^th year of an Arts/Law degree.

Oxfam, South Africa