By Alfie Futerman, René Cassin intern I write this reflective blog a few days after returning from March of the Living. Despite the wealth of writing, research, and testimony on […]

“We must advocate for a kinder treatment of asylum seekers within our country, and actively seek to redirect the narrative away from hostility and towards compassion.” writes Alfie Futerman  

By Abi Levy, René Cassin intern As a feminist with an interest in politics I was somewhat shocked – yet intrigued – to hear about Marion Phillips for the first […]

By Debora Singer MBE, René Cassin When Sarah* had to move to a care home, she and her husband Benjamin* were shocked when they were told that he was not […]

By Melanie Goldberg, René Cassin intern “There was not a single safe place in Ukraine…Everyone was afraid and panicked, explosions were heard…We ran in a panic…” (Katerina, May 2022, Poland) […]

By Izzy Arkus, age 17, René Cassin Ambassador Programme 2022 Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy […]

This guest blog was written by The Latin American Women’s Rights Service for Refugee Week 2022. This year Refugee Week’s theme is healing. As a migrant women’s community organisation, healing […]

Jess Templeman, Director of Programmes at Arise For most people ‘slavery’ is a historic problem, or something limited to the realms of horrific news stories and Hollywood movies. It does […]

By Jack Walton, René Cassin intern “Telling the history of the Jewish populations from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is therefore crucial…so we can truly appreciate the breadth […]

Recent reporting from numerous NGOs and activist groups has revealed the systematic use of violence against migrants at Europe’s borders. Whilst the EU has tried to distance itself from these […]

By Stav Salpeter, Ambassador, René Cassin The Home Office caused an uproar when it announced its plans to reinstate a system of offshore detention last fall. The concern of adopting […]

By Michael Goldin, immigration lawyer and René Cassin detention volunteers group coordinator Earlier this year the Home Secretary published the government’s New Plan for Immigration, which sets out proposed changes […]

By Edie Martin, Intern, René Cassin The view of Port Erin, drawn by a male internee on the Isle of Man for the Onchan Pioneer When the events of the […]

By Evie Cawte, René Cassin Ambassador Since the beginning of time, the female experience has always been different; this does not exclude the female experience in acts of Genocide. However, […]

By Esther Raffell, René Cassin’ Campaigns Officer International Women’s Day is a day of joy, affirmation, and resistance. For women and for people of marginalised genders, it can be tough […]

By Ruth Barnett “If you find genocide inflicted on peoples far away from here does not matter  – then don’t continue reading. BUT, if you find genocide inflicted on any […]

Women have the right to live free from violence and discrimination; to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; to be educated; to own property; to vote; and to earn an equal wage.

Let’s work to hold on to the benefits of Human Rights Act and European Convention

By Reanna Smith Immigration detention is putting asylum seekers in the UK at risk of suicide and self-harm. Two years ago, the Guardian revealed that there was an average of […]

By Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive Director, René Cassin According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the definition of a superhero is ‘a character in a film or story who has special strengths and […]

by Reanna Smith The UK government has recently promised to make big changes to the UK’s asylum and immigration system, following an increasing number of refugee arrivals via small boat […]

By Mitchell Woolf NOTE: this article is a summary of a webinar Mitchell gave on 7 October 2020 as part of the René Cassin Hummus and Human Rights Speakers Series […]

By Miranda Zeffman On October 20th, the Court of Appeal ruled that a Home Office policy giving migrants just 72 hours’ notice of deportation was unlawful. The ‘Removal Notice Window’ […]

By Dr. Sheldon Stone, René Cassin Fellow and Campaign Associate, Advisory Group to STOPUYGHURGENOCIDE, World Uyghur Congress, London Office “Have you reserved?” “No!”  I was prepared to do anything.  Take […]

By Minnie Wiggins, René Cassin intern This year’s National Hate Crime Awareness Week (10-17 October) seeks to bring people together to stand in solidarity against all forms of hate. As […]

By Lesley Urbach, René Cassin Fellow At the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century Jewish European women were trafficked across international borders to be sold into sex […]

By Claudia Hyde, René Cassin alumni “Remember that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt” Deuteronomy 15:15 Slavery is central to the Jewish experience. We speak on Pesach […]

By Eva Rehse and Sandy McClure, Global Greengrants Fund UK We need to act now to protect our planet, which is facing mass biodiversity extinction and the threat of a […]

“… an unnecessary evil and a totally avoidable catastrophe”

By Rabbi David Mason, Muswell Hill Synagogue I was asked recently, by the Jewish human rights organisation René Cassin to give a contribution as part of an evening looking at […]

Coronavirus has shown us that radical change is possible

A Refugee Week poem by Debora Singer

COVID-19 and the Alyth Refugee Drop-in Response The Alyth drop-in for refugees is a small charitable organisation run by volunteers. We provide social Sundays, outings and a choir. Our aim […]

“I can’t believe I have been treated like this by my beloved England”

By Student Rabbi Gabriel Kanter-Webber The glasses we usually associate with Pesach contain wine. But I think glasses have another connection with it as well. “During the emergency period, no […]

What is your Seder night like? Does your father or grandfather sit at the head of the table and lead the telling of the exodus? Do you remember our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Do you discuss what the four sons have to say?

What about the righteous women?

by Michael Goldin, Coordinator of the Detention Jewish Visitors Group On Sunday 1st March I attended an event to mark the yatrzheit of a friend of mine, Amir Siman-Tov, who […]

by Moses Seitler, Education and Community Engagement Officer at René Cassin A summary of most Jewish holidays is they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat! Purim follows this […]

by Sheldon Stone The UK government’s decision (28 January 2020) on future of Huawei, as a leading telecommunications provider in the country, undermines the UK’s long and celebrated tradition of […]

Written by Shamus McPhee, Chairperson of RAJPOT (www.rajpot.org.uk) The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day 2020 is: ‘Stand Together’. While not a panacea in itself, there is a definite case for […]

Alice Akca reflects on her internship at René Cassin at th end of 2019, and looks outlines her hopes for the organisation in 2020

Today marks 71st anniversary of the signing of the UN Convention against Genocide and World Genocide Day, established by the UN, to commemorate and honour the victims of genocides and […]

With just over a week left until polling day, we have been thinking about what the future holds for human rights in the UK. We have read through the manifestos […]

by Alice Akca, René Cassin Intern  “The majority of modern slavery victims in the UK are from the UK.” This statement, presented to us by Caroline Barnard, Communications Officer, from […]

On 25 September, René Cassin hosted 30 JLGB volunteers for training on leading human rights education for their groups.

Kate Green MP: “Hatred of one group is hatred of us all.”

Intern Alice reports on the gendered aspect of modern slavery and suggests possible solutions.

By Simone Aspis Increasingly, the government is enacting legislation and policies that have the potential to treat disabled people less favourably than their non-disabled peers.  Whilst law and policy is […]

Work experience student Mollie writes on the campaign to have misogyny classified as a hate crime

Professor Geraldine van Bueren argues for a new approach

By Sam Alston In an unprecedented high court case in October 2018, the Dutch government was forced to abandon plans to weaken its carbon reduction targets. The case, first of […]

Lauren Chaplin explores whether, six years on from Rana Plaza tragedy, anything has changed.

By Jane Kilpatrick Trafficking victim Peter came in contact with @ECPATUK after he ran away from his traffickers, in desperate need of support. In the #UK, the National Referral Mechanism […]

Sidney and Edith’s story Sidney and Edith have been married for 60 years.  When Edith is allocated to a different care home to Sidney, she is distraught that she could […]

Will Bordell March was a month of modern slavery data-points – and they’re not as dull as they might sound. Across the board, statistic after statistic shows a steep increase: […]

Josh Alston looks at the role that South African Jews played in the fight against apartheid, and remembers Ruth First’s struggle and sacrifice.

By Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive Director of René Cassin When Minerva Bernardino from the Dominican Republic, Hansa Mehta from India and Shaista Ikramullah from Pakistan, joined Eleanor Roosevelt to ensure that […]

By Rebecca Hilsenrath, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission My father-in-law was 28 when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted; living in New York […]

Yoram Goodman reflects on his internship at René Cassin

74 years ago today, the Nazis killed 2,897 Roma men, women and children at Auschwitz

On World Day against Trafficking, Ben Lewis considers children “trapped in their exploitation”.

Stephen Shaw has published his long-awaited second review into UK immigration detention.

Michael Goldin calls for government reforms to an “appalling” system of immigration control.

Ben Cartwright discusses the importance of legal aid for victims of modern slavery.

Javid wants policy to be fair, respectful and decent. UK policy is none of these.

Aidan Shipman on the latest National Crime Agency figures

High Court upholds principles laid down 70 years ago in Universal Declaration of Human Rights

By Jess Baker

Government criticised over treatment of detainees

The Supreme Court has put down a very clear marker for victims’ rights

Lord McColl’s Bill will both help victims and ensure more offenders are prosecuted

28 day limit and community-based schemes offer more humane alternatives

Victims of modern slavery deserve a strategy that is more than just a slogan

Modern slaves – made to work exploitative hours, but totally dependent on employers

Domestic progress is being undermined by international failures

Debora Singer writes movingly about her own family history…

Lack of support puts slavery and trafficking survivors at risk

Lack of support puts slavery and trafficking survivors at risk

Lack of support puts slavery and trafficking survivors at risk

Lack of support puts slavery and trafficking survivors at risk

Have a read and find out what our brilliant work experience students Soroh, Jessica and Julia, have been doing with us this Summer…

It’s time to end ‘hierarchy of hate’ – by equalising sentences for all hate crimes

Lack of support puts slavery and trafficking survivors at risk

Ruby is generously raising money and awareness on the issue of modern day slavery

Minorities amongst Minorities: The LGBT experience in UK Detention Centres  René Cassin Personal Project Emma Falley July 2017 René Cassin works towards a world where everyone can fully enjoy their […]

Jewish experience tells us that unity must mean ensuring rights for the vulnerable

System puts survivors at risk and plays into the hands of abusers

Read our latest blog on modern day slavery

Jewish experience tells us that unity must mean ensuring rights for the vulnerable

Read the winning entries and what our judge, Joshua Rozenberg, says about them

‘I became enthralled by the topic, as slavery affects so many millions of people around the world, and I know that it is something I will continue to work on […]

Why don’t anti-slavery laws prevent slavery?

There are community-based alternatives to the fatal inhumanity of immigration detention

How immigration detention affects women – and what Jewish teaching can tell us

This article is published as part of ‘Unlocking Detention’ – an annual ‘virtual’ tour of the UK’s detention estate, which aims to shine a spotlight on one of the gravest […]

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) children are significantly overrepresented in the youth criminal justice system. However, the failure to record GRT children in ethnic monitoring processes means that there is […]

Ruby is generously raising money and awareness on the issue of modern day slavery

“If we’re cut, we all bleed the same.” – James Masters writes about the 80th anniversary of Cable Street. For many the date of October 4 1936 is one that […]

Kezia Niman writes about the indelible link between Jewish history and the refugee crisis

Alex Goldberg, René Cassin Trustee remembers a personal encounter with Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, who died on 2 July

“In these turbulent and uncertain times, we need to hold firm to the values that bind us together as a society. Human rights laws developed in response to tyranny and genocide.Let’s not allow them to become the victims of political agendas” René Cassin Director, Mia Hasenson-Gross, responds to Brexit with a heartfelt personal plea

How many slaves are there in the UK? Is the UK better or worse than other countries at dealing with trafficking? What type of slavery is most prevalent in the […]

On 4 May 2016, René Cassin Trustee Alexander Goldberg spoke at the memorial seminar in honour of Clemens Nathan. Clemens was a long time friend and colleague of Monsieur René Cassin. Alex said: “Borne out of the ashes of the Shoah, Clemens … believed that the Declaration was a global attempt to proclaim the imperative ‘never again’. Never again would there be such inhumanity. Never again would a sovereign state be able to claim that it could deprive a minority of life, liberty and fundamental freedoms on the basis of their religion, ethnicity and other characteristics or be able to claim it had done this under law of the land”

The lethal policy of immigration detention, defending the Human Rights Act … and much more – read the latest news from René Cassin – in our supporters’ newsletter, 24 February 2016

‘Every instance of an ethnic slur, or a stereotype or any other attempt to discriminate against us and push us ‘back to our caravans’ should be vigorously confronted.’ Rachel Bailey […]

40 years ago this Saturday (20th February) the man our organisation is named after, Monsieur René Cassin passed away. Read Catherine O’Neill’s thoughts on his legacy and what her time […]

On February 2, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees held a meeting to discuss the UK’s response to the refugee crisis. The meeting, titled “From Damascus to Dunkirk: Responding humanely […]

‘For people who suffer from mental health issues, human rights legislation in the UK has proved a critical tool in securing justice and developing safeguards for their protection’ We looked […]

On this day in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Read our latest blog piece on why, 67 years on, it is as […]

We consider the ways in which human rights legislation affects Gypsy and Traveller Communities living in England and Wales. It is written in the context of government plans to repeal the […]

Read our latest update on policy and research developments regarding our Gypsy, Roma and Traveller campaign area Download the article here:Hope and Despair for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers

Today, 10th September 2015, Parliament sat down to debate detention for asylum seekers and refugees. Impassioned pleas were made by over 25 MPs, from the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and […]

In Britain, asylum seekers can be held indefinitely in detention centres. This means that people, who have often escaped unthinkable situations to seek refuge in the UK, will not know […]

The Human Rights Act is often criticized for affording too many people the right to stay in the UK due to their right to a family life, even if they […]

Leaders from René Cassin and Tzelem attended the London Church Refugee Network meeting to discuss interfaith campaigning on indefinite detention. Read more here.

From Magna Carta to Harmondsworth Article on the contradiction of celebrating the 800th Anniversary of Magna Carta in an era where the UK is the only country in Europe not […]

Fear and prejudice here and abroad Gay, lesbian and bisexual asylum seekers face discrimination at every step of the process. The already harrowing experience of indefinite detention is worsened when […]

Breaking the Chains On the 22nd of April, René Cassin was pleased to hear from renowned experts Parosha Chandran and Dr Aidan McQuade to discuss the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and […]

There’s No Such Thing as Trivial Rights The Conservative Party’s proposal to repeal the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), argues that one of the HRAs shortcomings is its failure to […]

The legislative framework for safeguarding human rights came about because of the need to protect people from the overweening power of the state – as witnessed by Nazi and Soviet […]

Hidden Detainees: the Secret Struggle There is a significant discord between the number of immigrants detained in the UK and that reflected by the official Home Office figure. This is […]