Call for papers: 'Boat Refugees' and Migrants at Sea Conference - London: 23 & 24 June 2014
"Boat Refugees" and Migrants at Sea: A Comprehensive Approach - Integrating Maritime Security with Human Rights - that will take place at the Refugee Law Initiative, School of Advanced Study, London, on 23 and 24 June 2014.
Convened by the Refugee Law Initiative and the Law Department of Queen Mary (with support from HRC and UACES), this 2-day conference aims to comprehensively address the contemporary phenomenon of ‘boat migration’ with a holistic approach. We will consider its multiple facets, combining knowledge from several disciplines and regions of the world, with a view to making a decisive contribution to our understanding of current trends, against the background of the fragmentary responses adopted and innumerable tragedies occurred thus far.
Confirmed speakers include Prof. Guy Goodwin-Gill (University of Oxford) and Prof. François Crépeau (UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Migrants) as keynote speakers, together with distinguished world-class scholars, policy-makers and representatives from inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Interested practitioners and scholars - particularly those at an early stage of their career (including PhD students) - are encouraged to submit an abstract on the following or closely related topics for inclusion in the conference panels:
1. Who is a 'boat migrant'? (multi-disciplinary approaches are particularly welcome).
2. The 'boat migrant' and illegality at sea: security and law-enforcement issues.
3. Needs and entitlements of refugees and migrants at sea: human rights and protection obligations.
4. Policy responses to 'boat migration': inter-agency and multi-purpose mechanisms.
5. Identifying gaps and challenges: indicating the way forward.
Abstracts, not exceeding 300 words, should be sent by 20 March to both: Dr Violeta Moreno-Lax (v.moreno-lax@qmul.ac.uk<mailto:v.moreno-lax@qmul.ac.uk>) and Dr Efthymios Papastavridis (papastavridis@Academyofathens<mailto:papastavridis@Academyofathens>). Please see the attached Call for Papers for more details.
Registration for the conference will be opened shortly. If you are interested in participating other than as a presenter, please email the convenors so that we can keep you informed.
Kind regards,
Dr David James Cantor
Director of the Refugee Law Initiative
Reader in International Human Rights Law
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Future Research Leader
School of Advanced Study - University of London
Tel: +44/0 20 7862 8827 Fax: +44/0 20 7862 8820