Lead Editor-Newsgathering
ryan.bachoo@cnc3.co.tt
Sitara Bhagirathee, Cherisse Lambert, and Ana-Lissa Jack are three legal professionals providing service to the most vulnerable communities and people among us. Bhagirathee is a legal officer, while Lambert and Jack are two legal associates. Together, they make up the legal team at the Caribbean Centre for Human Rights (CCHR).
For many people who are desperate for help, these three ladies are a symbol of hope towards an uncertain future. Founded in 2006, CCHR monitors human rights issues and advocates with government stakeholders for the human rights of refugees, migrants, asylum seekers, prisoners, those detained at the Immigration Detention Centre, as well as people who merely need legal advice in T&T and across the Caribbean. It even stretches to matters of domestic violence, family issues, and legal research.
Their work has become even more critical with an influx of Venezuelan migrants over the last decade.
However, Lambert said it was a misconception that they only assist Venezuelan migrants.
She said, “The work is extremely critical and serious. The vast majority of people that make up and comprise the vulnerable community are Venezuelans, but it also sheds light on other persons and other nationalities that are here, like Syrian nationals, Cubans, Haitians, Guyanese, people from Bangladesh, and the eastern hemisphere.”
Lambert added that the work they do has also shed light on the lack of legislation in this country to support the vast migration of people to our twin-island state.
Beyond the legal challenges, these three ladies have to overcome language barriers, understand domestic law, and access local programmes.
Last year, this team made contact with 500 people, providing legal advice to 496 people. Their outreach campaigns meant to educate vulnerable communities about their human rights and responsibilities reached over 700 people. They are the official partners of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, assisting people to get protection orders and teaching about their rights. Bhagirathee said this was one of the most important parts of their work.
She added, “It’s also important for us to break the stigma. People believe that education and awareness are for non-nationals and those whose rights are being infringed upon, but we would like to extend where the country as a whole knows about the type of work being done.” This education and awareness that Bhagirathee speaks of have become even more important during the State of Emergency (SoE).
Jack explained, “CCHR is continuously monitoring the human rights infringements in this country. We already have a SoE communication plan. In terms of the refugee and asylum-seeker community specifically, they are afraid of the impact this could have on them because even before the SoE, there were people who would have been subjected to illegal searches and abuse of power.”
Bhagirathee said she was concerned by the number of people in this country who do not know their right to an attorney. This has driven her and her team to expand their educational drive.
She said, “We now want to expand. We have done amazingly well in terms of 2024. We are now embarking on bridging that gap, whether it is language, stigma, or getting the relevant authorities and stakeholders on board with us to educate the asylum seekers and refugees in addition to the citizens of T&T in terms of human rights.”
The team isn’t concerned about whether the number this year is bigger or smaller than last year but rather about ensuring that people’s rights are not infringed upon. In their line of work, Bhagirathee, Lambert, and Jack are exposed to some of the most desperate cases they will deal with in their legal careers. Some people are fleeing war, conflict, political persecution, and gangs.
Their lives and only hope rest with these three who are fighting for them to at least get a chance to stay and build a life in T&T. It’s also a job that could drain you emotionally and leave you fatigued.
Bhagirathee told us what keeps her going: “What I enjoy the most at CCHR is combining my love for God, His people, and the law, and what keeps me grounded is the love poured into me by my grandmother, the late Chanardai Samodee, and with God, anything is possible, according to Luke 1:37.”
For these three ladies, the legal profession is no longer a job. It has become their life’s purpose, using it as a vehicle to help people who otherwise would not be able to help themselves.