Date: 25 November 2015
Time: 4pm – 8pm
Venue: Arbitration Room, Distillery Building, Church Street, Dublin 7
It is our pleasure to announce a forthcoming Irish Refugee Council Masterclass, which will be held on Wednesday 25th November in the Arbitration Room at the Distillery Building, Church Street, Dublin 7 from 4-6pm. The masterclass entitled ‘The Assessment of Asylum claims relating to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity’ will be conducted by S. Chelvan, a practising barrister in the UK and it is on the topic of LGBTI asylum seekers.
The class will address specific challenges in the examination of asylum claims related to sexual identity and gender identity including issues such as credibility, the discretion test and procedural safeguards needed to ensure a correct identification of the protection needs of LGBTI clients. There will also be time for questions and discussion.
About the speaker
Chelvan, Barrister at No5 Chambers in London, is an activist, academic and advocate. Chelvan is an LGBTI champion, specifically with respect to the rights of migrants and asylum-seekers. He is recognised as having significantly contributed to ground- breaking LGBTI asylum cases, both in the UK, and in Europe. He won the title of Legal Aid Barrister of the Year in 2014 in the UK and has recently been nominated for Civil Lawyer of the Year for the 2015 Society of Asian Lawyers Awards.
ELA Manual Launch
The masterclass will be followed at 6.15pm by the launch of the Irish Refugee Council’s Manual on Providing Early Legal Advice to Persons Seeking Protection at the same venue. The manual provides practical guidance to practitioners on providing legal advice to asylum seekers during the early stages of the asylum process. Refreshments will be provided following the launch. Please RSVP your attendance to the launch.
To RSVP email Maria Hennessy on maria@irishrefugeecouncil.ie or at 01 764 5061. The masterclass is free of charge but places are limited.