Bill Frelick: Regional Crises, Refugees and Human Rights

Bill Frelick believes the refugee crisis is a test of our common humanity. And it seems clear that as asylum-seeker crises continue to unfold across the globe – and policies against asylum-seekers continue to harden in Europe, in America and here in Australia – we are failing that test. How can we do better for displaced people?

As the director of the Refugees Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, Frelick has unique insight into the scope and severity of the crises, as well as some ideas for better solutions. He’s dedicated decades of his career to monitoring and investigating the plight of displaced and persecuted peoples, now at Human Rights Watch, but previously at Amnesty International and at the U.S. Committee for Refugees.

In a 40-minute presentation, Frelick will provide a snapshot of the state of the world’s refugees in 2018. He’ll focus on the Rohingya crisis, the displacement caused by the war in Syria, the new border policies and nationalist rhetoric in the United States and Australia’s offshore detention. Followed by a short Q&A and audience questions, Frelick will talk regional responses, rhetoric versus reality and the facts and myths of deterrence.

Presented in partnership with Human Rights Watch.