{"id":3319,"date":"2016-06-10T12:22:54","date_gmt":"2016-06-10T11:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=54778"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:11","slug":"navy-pillay-eu-turkey-agreement-allows-for-discrimination-deportation-and-detention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/06\/10\/navy-pillay-eu-turkey-agreement-allows-for-discrimination-deportation-and-detention\/","title":{"rendered":"Navi Pillay: ‘EU-Turkey agreement allows for discrimination, deportation and detention’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pillay ontving de \u2018cappa\u2019 van rector magnificus Huib Pols, professor Kristin Henrard en professor Karin Arts<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

The former UN High Commissioner, Navy Pillay, challenged the crowd as she bared naked the misguided perceptions and assumptions that hunt migrants. On Thursday, Pillay became the first ever recipient of the Honorary Doctorate during a Mandeville lecture.<\/p>\n

The Erasmus School of Law and the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague issued this year\u2019s honorary doctorate. Pillay was praised for her career of \u2018first places\u2019 as a she became the first coloured woman to establish her own law firm in South Africa as well as being the first non-white woman to serve in the high court of South Africa.<\/p>\n

Children detention<\/h3>
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Pillay took a human rights standpoint as she laid bare every aspect of the current migration crisis. During the lecture, she addressed the common practise of immigrant children\u2019s detention. Often, when families migrate, children are taken from the parents and placed in detention. Evoking international law regulations, Pillay highlighted that the practise goes against the internationally agreed norms. Furthermore, she emphasized the legitimate right of vulnerable migrant groups, such as children, to be granted with special protection.<\/p>\n

Pillay\u2019s concerns for refugees\u2019 human rights violation extends further as she criticized the EU-Turkey refugee agreement. The deal allows Greece to deport refugees who arrived after 20 March back to Turkey. The former UN High Commissioner denounced the contradictory nature of the pact as it violates UN Commission\u2019s directions as well as international regulations. \u201cThis agreement allows for discrimination, deportation and detention of migrants. How can the EU accept such example?\u201d argued Pillay.<\/p>\n

\u201cImmigration is not a problem, but an opportunity\u201d<\/h3>

Michelle Fu (28), student at the Erasmus School of Law, attended the lecture: \u201cThis is a great occasion to raise awareness around the issues related to migrants. It is a wakeup call for European countries to consider the issue from a humanitarian point of view. You often hear about the refugees\u2019 situation on the news, but then, it doesn\u2019t sink in. Hearing it from her, who has so much experience in the field, gets to you.\u201d Aspasia Karampetsou (25) who is a PhD candidate at the Erasmus School of Law attended Pillay\u2019s masterclass too: \u201cWhat hit me from her class was how she described immigration, not as a problem, but as an opportunity. What stuck with me was the realisation that people are always moving, migrating. It\u2019s human nature!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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