The Irish Refugee Council is urging more companies to offer internships to asylum seekers and refugees who complete the online training course called ‘Know Your Rights’.
The course, which helps people advocate for themselves, has been a springboard for paid internships at legal and accountancy firms in Ireland in recent years.
The Know Your Rights Programme began in 2017, when Awmaima Amrayaf – a UK-based refugee and pro bono legal officer with the international law firm DLA Piper – saw there was an opportunity to help those seeking refuge and asylum in the UK.
In 2021, the company’s Dublin office followed suit and tailored an eight-week online course informing asylum seekers and refugees about the legal system, employment, housing and healthcare.
DLA Piper has now added an eight-week paid internship to the programme as an opportunity for participants who conclude the online course.
It is “a signature part” of DLA Piper’s global pro bono practice, according to its Legal Director Marcus Walsh.
“The purpose of internship was to give an intern exposure to the Irish and international business environment with plans to expand the internship next year.”
The firm’s first intern this summer was Viorika Zakhovavko – a refugee and legal professional from Ukraine.
She has just finished an eight-week stint in the office.
Prior to the internship, the Know Your Rights Programme gave Ms Zkhovavko an understanding of how to navigate the Irish legal and social system more effectively.
“It helped me to understand my rights and my responsibilities and give me confidence in making my decisions, in my career and my life,” she said.
Prior to the internship, Ms Zakhovavko feared applying for some roles.
She now feels more confident and is grateful that she had a chance to familiarise herself with areas of Irish law and the work environment here.
Another graduate of the Know Your Rights Programme is José Gonzalez, who sought asylum in Ireland in February last year.
His grasp of English enabled him to do the online course with ease.
It also resulted in fellow residents at the IPAS centre where Mr Gonzalez is based questioning their own rights.
He has been happy to help and inform them.
“Where the single men live, normally we don’t have too much help apart from the Council, so it can be really stressful for the new people.”
Regardless of whether people are migrants or asylum seekers, Mr Gonzalez believes people should enter the programme “to know all the things about the process,” of living in Ireland.
Sharon Mpofu came to Ireland as an asylum seeker four years ago and has since become an Irish citizen.
She is passionate about enabling asylum seekers and refugees in Ireland to know their rights.
Like Ms Zakhovavko, Ms Mpofu was also offered an internship, but in her case, it was with Deloitte, which has since joined forces with DLA Piper to provide a pathway to internships.
Deloitte’s Development Programme was established in 2020 and offers six-month internships to those who have submitted applications for international protection and are awaiting a final decision on their status.
During her internship in Deloitte’s immigration department, Ms Mpofu studied immigration law and registered with the Law Society of Ireland.
She got a job with a firm of solicitors, where she climbed the ladder from receptionist to legal executive.
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This year she made the leap into the public sector and works for a local county council which she has discovered is “quite different”.
“But I love challenge because I feel I’m learning quite a lot.”
She is keen to learn more and will begin a local government studies course in September.
Since it launched in 2017, the DLA Piper programme has delivered 515 training sessions in 17 countries.
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Mr Walsh points out that lawyers tend to think of “the case or the client in front of you”.
He stresses the importance of broader corporate social responsibility.
“It’s a responsibility to society and to Ireland in this case, but also to the global values of who we are as an international law firm.”
The Irish Refugee Council, which has partnered with DLA Piper on the Know Your Rights Programme, has found it greatly beneficial given the level of migration across Europe.
In the past, workers with the IRC tried to meet as many people seeking asylum as they could to help inform them of how the various arms of the State operate, but that is no longer possible due to the increased numbers seeking sanctuary here.
The Know Your Rights Programme enables those who have completed the course, like Viorika, José and Sharon, to explain to other asylum seekers and refugees about their rights.
CEO Nick Henderson is also keen to see other companies follow the lead of DLA Piper, Deloitte, A&L Goodbody and others.
“There is a huge demand and a need for companies and organisations who probably have a lot of in-house expertise to try and take that extra little step forward,” he said.