Six Kent Law Clinic students presented papers to an international conference of 100 law students and academics held in Gaza this week.
The Kent students joined the conference via Skype whilst pre-recorded podcasts of their papers were translated live to attendees from Palestine, Tunisia and Morocco.
The International Student Legal Conference was hosted by the Legal Clinic of the Sharia Law Faculty at the Islamic University of Gaza on Wednesday 2 December. The topic of the conference, sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme, was domestic violence and women’s access to justice.
Final year undergraduate students Hannah Bristow, Jasmyn Villahermosa and Hannah Johnston presented a 4,000 word paper entitled ‘The Availability and Impact of Support Systems for Victims of Domestic Violence in England and Wales, with Particular Reference to the Muslim Community’; and Nusrat Khan, Lula Wyss Le Brocq and Meshaal Choudhary presented a 4,000 word paper entitled ‘Postcolonial, feminist and modernist dilemmas for ‘human rights’ based legal activism aimed at female emancipation’.
Professor John Fitzpatrick, Director of the Kent Law Clinic, said: ‘I’m delighted that our students have been able to make a contribution, and to work with our counterparts in Gaza. Dr Mohammed EL Nahal the conference organiser said their papers were very well received.’
Kent Law Clinic is a partnership between students, academics and solicitors and barristers in practice locally. It has two objects: to provide a public service for local people who need legal advice and representation but cannot afford to pay for it, and to enhance the education of students in the Kent Law School through direct experience of legal practice.
Nusrat, Meshaal and Lula are pictured above right with Jasmyn and Hannah Bristow pictured above.