It was a trip to South Africa through the CBA's Young Lawyers International Program in 2008 that led Roanna Tay to a career in protecting refugee rights. The eight-month internship program, which had Roanna working in South Africa's Legal Resources Centre (LRC), opened her eyes to some of the critical issues faced by refugees.
"One of our cases at the LRC involved a large group of Somali clients who faced protection needs arising out of the xenophobic violence," explains Tay. "During this time, many faced wide-scale displacement and were unable to renew their documents. As a result, they were afraid to return to live in their community."
A year after completing her internship, Tay returned to South Africa to work with Lawyers for Human Rights, where she primarily spent time in the Detention Monitoring Unit, paying weekly visits to South Africa's immigration detention facility to provide legal assistance to detainees...
For more, read the full profile of Roanna Tay in the Allard Law Alumni Magazine, Spring 2014.