Global Commons
The Hart House Global Commons is your opportunity to connect in real-time with students participating in-person and virtually from international partner universities, to engage in dialogue and action around important and timely issues.
This year, our theme focuses on Migration: Global Perspectives on the Search for Home. Join us to explore the myriad of reasons driving refugees, asylum seekers, displaced peoples, and migrants to take significant risks in their search for a new home; and to consider ways to respond effectively and with empathy and respect for all.
About
Immigration detention is the practice of detaining a non-citizen on the basis of a person’s migration status. It can occur at all stages of the migration process – on contact, during the application process and prior to deportation. Under international law, it is meant to be used as a last resort. (ref. https://idcoalition.org/about/what-is-detention/).
Despite this, the practice of detention is widely used, and growing. Canada is one of the few countries that puts no limit on the amount of time an individual may be locked in detention, with some at risk of being detained indefinitely. (See source). Provinces around Canada incarcerate asylum seekers but a campaign lead by advocacy organizations Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International is working to change that.
In the United States, tens of thousands of individuals, including children, are held in over 200 detention centres around the country. France had over 46,000 detainees in detention in 2019, with many of them facing health consequences due to the spread of COVID-19 throughout the facilities in 2020.
In Colombia, over 2.5 million Venezuelan refugees have been welcomed and provided residency rights, but migrants still face many hardships as they adapt to a new environment.
Please join us for this timely virtual event to hear from Laura Cristina Dib Ayesta from the Faculty of Law at Universidad de los Andes, and journalist Nicholas Keung from the Toronto Star, as they share stories and experiences, and lead a discussion on the practice of immigration detention.
Participants will have an opportunity to meet with students from Colombia, South Africa, Canada, France, India, and the United States. Share and hear perspectives from other students as you discuss strategies for effective and responsible treatment of migrants seeking refuge.
Hosts
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Laura Cristina Dib Ayesta
Legal adviser at the Legal Clinic for Migrants, member of the Migration Studies Center and professor at University of los Andes' Masters Program in International Law.
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Nicholas Keung
Reporter, Toronto Star. Nicholas Keung writes about immigration, refugee and diversity issues. He has been honoured with the Online Journalism Awards and his work has been recognized by Urban Alliance on Race Relations and the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers.
Moderator
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Sara Duodu
Sara is a second-year student in the Master of Global Affairs program at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, specializing in innovation policy and global security. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Western Ontario in History and Political Science. She also completed a master’s degree at the University of Western Ontario in History, specifically focusing on how race was framed in early 20th century American newspapers. Sara’s current research interests include the role of social media in social movements and the digital landscape of financial institutions. She currently holds a CGS-M scholarship through SSHRC and is currently the co-Editor-in-Chief of Global Conversations.