The project strives to improve the protection of the right of migrants, including LGBTI migrants, to family and private life. It focuses on the provision of free of charge legal counselling and legal representation for migrant families, with special focus on LGBTI migrants. Project activities include networking with other NGOs and legal professionals, as well as organising a webinar/ workshop with the participation of a Dutch expert. Project includes also awareness-raising on social media. Main aim of the project is to provide access to justice for migrants whose private and/ or family life might be endangered.
Project activities:Legal counselling and representation, incl. strategic litigation
Lawyers of HRL will provide free of charge legal counselling to foreigners wishing to reside in Slovakia based on their right to family and private life, or those who already reside in Slovakia, but their right to private and family life has been violated or might be violated. HRL lawyer(s) and/ or contracted pro bono attorneys will also provide legal representation (in administrative and/ or court procedures) in selected cases. Cases for legal representation will be selected carefully, giving priority to strategic cases, including LGBTI cases, when some important judicial opinion and/ or system change could be achieved.
Networking and webinar/ workshop
We will conduct an expert webinar/ workshop focusing on different aspects of the right to private and family life of migrants, including rights of LGBTI migrants. This event will be also good opportunity for networking. We will brainstorm at the meeting on the possibility to create a stable network of lawyers, attorneys and legal professionals dealing with or interested to deal with the cases concerning the right to private and family life of migrants, including LGBTI migrants. Dutch expert on family unification in immigration cases, Dr. Mark Klaassen, Assistant Professor at Leiden University, will actively participate at this activity holding a lecture at the webinar/workshop.
Awareness-raising on social media
This activity will include awareness-raising about the topic of the project emphasising the importance of family unity in immigration cases, targeting broader audience (via posts on social media, blogs and/ or podcasts).
This project is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under Dutch development/ foreign policy, in the amount of 2000 euros.
