Events

Events (last updated 04/08/23)

End of Project Webinar - 9th June 2023

The project closed with a final webinar, with insights and reflections from current and former Co-PIs, Professor Siobhán Mullally, Ms Devota Nuwe, and Professor Chris Dolan, along Dr David Tshimba and Dr Gillian Kane. During the webinar, the speakers acknowledged how far the conversation has progressed towards broad acknowledgement of the need to address trafficking in forced migration contexts in Uganda. The webinar closed with insights from all speakers on possible next steps, to take this important work forward. Speakers acknowledged that while much progress has been made during the progress, there is much still to be done, in terms of understanding the nature of trafficking in forced migration contexts, localising understandings of human trafficking in Uganda, and compiling and synthesising data on trafficking in forced migration contexts.

Watch the Webinar

Seminar: Questing for a Dignified Asylum in Uganda: Successes, Challenges and Lessons from the Refugee law Project – October 2022 

On Tuesday 11^th October 2022, the Irish Centre for Human Rights hosted a seminar with Ms Devota Nuwe and Dr David Tshimba from the Refugee Law Project, who were visiting Galway as part of their work on the project. as project partners on the Irish Research. Both speakers shared with students and staff at the ICHR about the work of the Refugee Law Project. The seminar presented an excellent opportunity for members of the ICHR community to hear about the work of RLP and participate in a discussion on protection and prevention of harm in the context of forced migration.

Roundtable Dialogue: Human Trafficking, Forced Migration and Gender Equality in Uganda – October 2022 

On 12^th October 2022, the Irish Centre for Human Rights hosted a range of Ireland-based stakeholders for a roundtable discussion centring on three key themes that have emerged from the project: 

1. Addressing human trafficking in humanitarian contexts: beyond siloed approaches
2. The forced migration – huma trafficking – labour externalisation nexus in Uganda
3. The climate change – internal displacement – human trafficking nexus in Uganda 

The roundtable took place during a visit of the project team from Kampala (Devota Nuwe and Dr David Tshimba). Attendees from both academia and civil society had a chance to hear about the work of the project and discuss the issues arising from the key thematic areas in focus. In focus was the cross-cutting nature of human trafficking, and the need to move beyond a fragmented, or siloed approach to human trafficking. 

Roundtable Policy Dialogue: The Forced Migration – Human Trafficking – Labour Externalisation Nexus: What Comprehensive Humanitarian Response for Uganda?  - August 2022 

On 24^th August 2022, the project team based at the Refugee Law Project, hosted a roundtable policy dialogue in Kampala. The discussion focused on the forced migration-human trafficking-labour externalisation nexus. The aim was to, through dialogue with key stakeholders, sketch the broad contours of what a comprehensive humanitarian response to the often inextricably linked vulnerabilities of forced displacement, human trafficking and labor migration may look like for Uganda, particularly through and beyond such pandemic times. Representatives from Ugandan government departments, international organisations, and civil society attended the event. In addition, project staff from the Irish Centre for Human Rights (Prof. Siobhán Mullally and Dr Gillian Kane) contributed remotely to the dialogue. 

United Nations University - Policy Research Workshop on Uganda  - February 2022

On 9^th and 10^th February 2022, we partnered with Delta 8.7 (United Nations University) to host a policy research workshop on addressing trafficking among refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda. Prior to the workshop, participants and experts were interviewed in order to identify themes for the discussion in the workshop. The workshop itself focused on the following policy areas:

1. Regional and continental frameworks to manage trafficking in people on the move
2. Trafficking response through local lenses for identification and protection
3. International humanitarian and human rights frameworks 
4. Identification and prevention at the national level

The workshop report, written by Alice Eckstein (United Nations University) contains details of the discussions, as well as a summary of key policy recommendations. The report is available here.

World Day against Trafficking in Persons – 30^th July 2021 - The Identification and Documentation of Trafficking in Persons in Situations of Forced Displacement 

To mark World Day against Trafficking in Persons in 2021, we held a webinar highlighting the fact that human trafficking is often under-identified and under-documented in forced displacement contexts. The webinar was moderated by Professor Siobhán Mulllally (Prof. the research project’s Principal Investigator, an Established Professor of Human Rights Law at NUI Galway, and UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children).

The panellists were: 

• Professor Chris Dolan (Professor in Global Sustainable Development at the University of Warwick and former Co-PI on this research project/director of Refugee Law Project at the School of Law, Makerere University)
• Michelle Koinange - Coordinator of Stop the Traffik Kenya, a network of civil society organisations fighting against human trafficking in Kenya and the larger Eastern Africa region. 
• Andria Kenney -  Andrea heads the Counter Trafficking in Emergencies team at IOM headquarters and co-leads the Global Protection Cluster’s Anti-Trafficking Task Team.

The recording is available to watch here. 

 4^th Regional Conference on Forced Migration - November 2020

During the 4^th Regional Conference on Forced Migration, hosted by The Refugee Law Project, Professor Siobhán Mullally spoke about human trafficking in the context of the Great Lakes region, highlighting the links with conflict and humanitarian contexts.  A recording of Professor Mullally’s intervention is available here.

World Day against Trafficking in Persons – 30^th July 2020 – Human Trafficking in a Pandemic Landscape – Implications for Children and Forced Migrants 

To mark World Day against Trafficking in Persons in 2020, we held a digital dialogue on the theme of human trafficking in a pandemic landscape. Professor Chris Dolan moderated the event and the following three panellists shared important reflections on the topic:

• Professor Siobhán Mullally (UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Established Professor of Law, NUI Galway)
• Rachel Bikhole (Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions – Head of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Department at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Uganda)
• Dr Eefje de Volder (Co-Chief-Editor with the Journal of Human Trafficking, Enslavement and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and co-founder and team member of IMPACT: Center against Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence in Conflict.)

 You can watch the recording of the dialogue here.