Representatives from UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, Ghazala Mirza and Tauseef Ullah visited the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law at LUMS on February 20 at a session focusing on refugees and gender.
UNHCR is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Representatives attended Associate Professor Sikander Shah’s class on the Refugee in International and Pakistani Law and discussed the various forms of persecution particular to women and countering the androcentric nature of refugee law.
Students were given a presentation on the practical aspects of the law as it applies in Pakistan and to Pakistani women. It was an incredibly enriching and valuable experience for them as they benefited from a non-theoretical perspective and the visitors’ practical experience as to how the law actually operates on the ground. The use of case studies and examples enhanced their understanding of the legal issues at play within the refugee system.
It is hoped that this combined session will be the start of other future collaborations with UNHCR whereby students can continue to benefit from both academic and practical perspectives.
