Join Bay Area International Link and CJA's Professional Network for Human Rights for an important discussion on the Syrian Refugee Crisis.

What's happening with the Syrian Refugee Crisis?

The Syrian refugee crisis is one of the largest humanitarian crises since World War II. More than five million refugees have fled the country, and millions more have been displaced within the country. Hear directly from Bay Area residents who have worked first-hand with Syrian refugees in the Middle East and Southern Europe.

Speakers:

Sarah Chynoweth, Research Fellow, Handa Center for Human Rights, Stanford University

Subhi Nahas, Director, Spectra Project

Julie Freccero, Director, Health and Human Rights Initiative, UC Berkeley Law

Moderator:

Daniel McLaughlin, Senior Staff Attorney, Center for Justice and Accountability

Complimentary drinks and light snacks will be served.

Event is free and open to the public, but donations are welcomed. All guests must register individually. This event is for guests 21 years of age or older. Guests will be required to show ID at the door for proof of age, as required by the venue.

Schedule:

6:00-6:30 networking

6:30-8:00 panel and guest Q&A

8:00-8:30 additional networking

About the Speakers

Dr. Sarah Chynoweth is a Research Fellow at the Handa Center for Human Rights at Stanford University as well as an independent consultant to the UN. She has worked or conducted research in 20 emergencies, including crises in Iraq, Sudan, and Myanmar, primarily focused on reproductive health and sexual violence.

Subhi Nahas, founder and board chair of Spectra Project and a Syrian refugee who gained asylum in the U.S. in 2015, advocates for minorities of different sexual orientations and genders in the Middle East and North Africa. Spectra Project is the only organization that supports the extremely vulnerable group of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa regions who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Nahas has been recognized by the California State Assembly and testified before the United Nations General Assembly.

Julie Freccero is the Director of the Health and Human Rights Initiative at UC Berkeley Law. As a specialist in managing gender-based violence in emergencies, she recently spent six months leading the United Nations Population Fund’s response to violence against refugees and migrants in camps and urban settings in Greece. Julie has conducted research in refugee and IDP settings in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Greece, Serbia, Malaysia, and the Thailand-Burma border.

Daniel McLaughlin is a Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Justice and Accountability where he represents victims of severe human rights abuses in U.S. courts and before international and regional bodies. Daniel previously served as a United Nations Legal Officer before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and as an International Bar Association Fellow in the Trial and Appeals Chambers of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former-Yugoslavia. Daniel holds a dual-degree (J.D. and Maîtrise en Droit) from Columbia Law School / Paris I Sorbonne-Panthéon and a B.A. from Yale.

About the Co-Hosts

BAIL is a network of Bay Area professionals aiming to foster a lively community of people interested in international affairs. We facilitate conversations with interesting speakers in the fields of international development, business & entrepreneurship, politics, governance, peace-building, human rights, trade, and environmental issues. We support our members through thoughtful networking events, quarterly happy hours, and a job board.

The Center for Justice & Accountability (CJA) is an international human rights organization dedicated to ending torture and other severe human rights abuses around the world. CJA’s Professional Network for Human Rights is a group of social justice-minded individuals who are passionate about human rights issues. They organize events year-round that highlight the courageous work of modern day human rights advocates and the issues most pressing to our local and global community. Learn more at http://cja.org/get-involved/professional-network/.

About the Venue

WeWork is a world where people work to make a life, not just a living. Learn more at: https://www.wework.com/.