Success Stories

Providing legal professionals with the tools they need to make a difference for detainees

René Cassin is developing a Detention Toolkit for lawyers who want to devote pro bono time to our Asylum Seekers campaign.  We also plan to hold an awareness and training event on the issue, in collaboration with the Bail Observation Project (May 2012)

René Cassin is hosting a photography exhibition at the French Institute with the Cassin family to remember M. Cassin’s legacy and to raise awareness of human trafficking (17 May 2012)

René Cassin raised human rights issues of concern before the Universal Periodic Review Consultation at the United Nations in Geneva (April 2012)

René Cassin recently produced an educational resource to supplement the national curriculum on slavery (April 2012)

René Cassin's employees and volunteers frequently speak about human rights at schools and academic institutions (Ongoing)

René Cassin hosted a panel discussion with guest speakers Professor Francesca Klug OBE and Sir Vernon Bogdanor CBE about the importance of retaining the Act (March 2012)

René Cassin prepared a submission to the Commission on the Bill of Rights Consultation supporting the retention of the Act (2011-2012)

Awareness-raising of slavery and human trafficking

René Cassin advised various corporations as to what steps they could take in order to ensure that they avoid indirectly contributing to modern-day slavery or increasing the likelihood of the exploitation of human beings during the 2012 London Olympics (March 2012)

René Cassin hosted an awareness-raising event to: draw attention to the fact that instances of human trafficking are likely to increase before, during and after the 2012 London Olympics; and to urge our supporters to work with businesses, residents and visitors to recognise and act to identify and prevent slavery and human trafficking (March 2012)

René Cassin prepared an oral submission for the UN Commission on Social Development on the social exclusion of Gypsies and Travellers.  This will be presented at the Commission Session in May of 2012 (1-10 February 2012)

René Cassin highlighted inequalities facing the Gypsy and Traveller communities in the UK and Europe at the European Union Fundamental Rights Platform in Vienna (April 2011)

René Cassin published the Detention Toolkit for young activists, which provides a plan for increased involvement in our asylum seekers and migrants’ rights campaign, and teaches young professionals how to campaign effectively (January 2012) 

The Toolkit has been endorsed by many partner human rights organisations and has been widely distributed.

René Cassin and 36 other NGOs urged the Joint Committee on Human Rights to reopen the case on administrative detention through a mass letter writing campaign, meetings with parliamentarians and other joint action (late 2011)

Organisational Development

René Cassin is constantly developing our abilities to continue to do our good work effectively.  As part of this effort, in 2011 we: produced policy papers in all our campaign areas; successfully hosted the first annual Autumn Gala at the BT Tower; published numerous articles on policy and legal developments affecting human rights; continued to develop our use of social media and relaunched our website (Ongoing)

In its Rights Respecting Schools Programme, René Cassin partners with UNICEF to teach children about their rights and responsibilities. The educational programmes reach approximately 2,800 students annually (Ongoing)  

In 2011, René Cassin staged Human Rights Training evenings or discussions in over 25 United Kingdom and French community institutions using a resource pack made in-house (Ongoing)

René Cassin runs an annual educational programme titled the Activist Enrichment Programme, which develops groups of highly-skilled young professionals into committed and passionate activists and takes them to Geneva, Strasbourg and the Hague to campaign before the international bodies.  The organisation has been running this programme successfully for four years and has had an independent educational evaluation conducted which concluded that the programme was adding real value to advocacy-training for young professionals (Ongoing)

The Detention Forum, of which René Cassin is a founding member, continues to put pressure on the British government to reform the immigration detention system by hosting Parliamentarians Meetings on Immigration Detention (March 2012 and June 2011) 

Highlighting issues facing victims of domestic Violence

René Cassin, in coalition with 105 small NGOs, put pressure on the Home Office to open up consultation on recent changes to the Immigration Rules for women who are domestic violence victims seeking to stay in the UK, with a mass letter writing exercise to Home Secretary Theresa May (9 May 2011)

René Cassin published the Haggadah Companion highlighting the ongoing issue of modern-day slavery and engaging supporters in positive activities to: raise awareness, change consumer behaviour and join our advocacy work (March 2011)  

René Cassin continues to publish articles on the issues facing Darfuris in detention in the UK, and also publishes research and articles on current human rights violations in South Sudan (Ongoing)

The Home Office repeatedly attempted to deport Darfuri asylum seekers to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, in the face of evidence that Darfuris faced torture, death and imprisonment there.  René Cassin successfully coordinated campaigns to protest deportations of Darfuri asylum seekers to Sudan, and staged an intervention at the UN Human Rights Council (November 2009)

The Protect Darfur Coalition, of which René Cassin is a member, called for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Sudanese leaders for war crimes in Darfur to achieve some measure of justice for victims. The ICC sent a clear message that there can be no immunity for perpetrators of atrocities by issuing an arrest warrant for Omar al Bashir, President of Sudan (March 2009)

René Cassin staged interventions on Darfur regularly at the United Nations Human Rights Council and lobbied the international community to take robust action on Darfur.  We welcomed the UN Security Council Resolution to send peacekeeping forces to the region and continue to monitor the situation (2007-2009)