UC Davis Immigration Law Clinic Teams Up With Greek NGO Metadrasi and Reed Smith LLP to Address European Refugee Crisis
UC Davis Law Professor Holly Cooper contributed this World Refugee Day 2016 post:
An estimated 65,000 refugees are trapped in Greece, and Holly Cooper teamed up with Reed Smith and Metadrasi, a Greek NGO, to provide legal support to the refugees in Greece.
Recently, the international law firm of Reed Smith sent a team of 10 international and Greek lawyers to the islands of Lesvos, Samos and Chios. Holly Cooper joined the team for two weeks and provided legal support on the island of Samos—where there are approximately 1200 refugees living in a refugee camp outside Samos City. Holly supported Metadrasi in its effort to identify durable solutions for unaccompanied children, monitor conditions in camps, advocate for vulnerable populations (elders, the disabled, women), and develop legal frameworks to ensure the EU-Turkey deal is not implemented in a way that would violate international and Greek law.
The firm will continue to send volunteer teams to support Metadrasi in its work with refugees, and it will strive to support the Greek government, EASO, UNHCR and nonprofits working to address this overwhelming crisis. The international community can and should do more to support Greece in its effort to protect refugees.
KJ