Well, that was a quick summer.
I spent ten weeks of it in Sydney, volunteering at the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre (hereinafter “HALC).
HALC is located in Surry Hills, just minutes away from the Central Business District. The solicitors at HALC take on almost every legal matter that pertains to HIV, either because the person with a legal issue has HIV or because that issue is inherently HIV-related, like disclosure or discrimination. Since HIV disproportionately affects the gay population, HALC acts as a resource for those with legal issues related to homosexuality as well. Some of the cases I was able to work on were protection visas, workplace discrimination, disclosure, tenancy issues, wills, and superannuation and/or disability claims.
The work I found most interesting was helping people process protection visas as a refugee. The Australian government, among many others, grants permanent residency to persons they consider to be refugees if they are outside their country and are unable to return due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. Persons with HIV and/or are gay may fit into “membership of a particular social group.” I worked on one such case - a gay man was legitimately afraid of being killed by his family if he were to return to his home country after he was “outed” in Australia by a family friend.
I also helped out in a few employment discrimination cases, in which the employee was discriminated against by being passed over for promotions, treated horribly, and in some instances, fired, because of their HIV status. HIV is considered a disability, and it is unlawful in Australia to discriminate against those with disabilities in the workplace, in the educational system, in providing goods and services, etc. If an initial complaint to the employer is unresolved, HALC helps those in need file and process a formal complaint with the Anti-Discrimination Board and represents them during the hearings, and through an appeal if need be.
I was also fortunate enough to help in a number of other matters. These issues include tenancy disputes of all kinds, from contesting rental arrears to neighbor harassment to interpreting rental building by-laws. I helped to draft wills, enduring guardianships, and power of attorney forms, as then witnessed their executions. I helped relay advice from the solicitors to clients on whether or not disclosing their HIV status was mandatory in regards to insurance, employment, or immigration applications.
One of the laws in Australia that I found really interesting, but was not able to personally work with cases on, is the law against the vilification of persons with HIV or AIDS. It is illegal for anyone to publicly humiliate or incite hatred towards a person because they have HIV or AIDS (even if they are not actually positive). This was a very new concept for me – hopefully the United States adopts a similar stance soon.
Besides being able to become very involved in the cases, the best part about HALC was the people I worked with. Everyone there was happy to be there and did everything they could to make sure their client got the best representation possible. They were passionate about helping people with HIV, promoting HIV awareness, and encouraging positive policy changes. This was very inspiring.
When I was not volunteering at HALC, I kept myself busy doing touristy things. I saw attractions like the famous Opera House, the Royal Botanical Gardens, “the Gap” – famous for suicide jumpers, Bondi Beach and the Coastal Walk down to Coogee Beach, the nearby Blue Mountains, and I even managed a weekend in Cairns to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. I also experienced quite a lot of the shopping, eating, and nightlife in Sydney.
It was a summer (Sydney winter!) well spent.
No comments:
Post a Comment