| Roanna Tay (April 2009) |
 On Monday, September 8, 2008, I walked into the offices of the Legal Resources Centre in Grahamstown, South Africa. It was the beginning of a six-month internship that has been immeasurably rich with lessons and gifts. I have been inspired by my colleagues, consulted with clients in the most remote parts of the country, fought with government officials, and had the joy and privilege of being part of a few small victories.
By the end of the first week, we were deep in the Transkei. Hundreds of people arrived by foot from the surrounding countryside and I found myself in the middle of a meeting between the community and the Minister of Energy and Minerals. The community members sang loudly and toyi-toyied to express their opposition to a mining licence that threatened their environment and way of life. The LRC is their legal representative and our work has resulted in a halt to the grant of the mining licence as the Minister must consider an internal appeal and enter into proper consultations with the community. The LRC's mission is to strive for a fully democratic society based on the principle of substantive equality and to ensure that the principles, rights and responsibilities enshrined in the South African Constitution are respected, promoted and fulfilled. This means that the LRC's work focuses on enabling the vulnerable and marginalized to assert and develop their rights. As my supervisor, Sarah Sephton, said to the community in the Transkei that day, "We want to make your voices heard in the court of law." This has rung true throughout my internship. It is a constant fight for the little guy: people whose land was expropriated by the apartheid government; abused and orphaned children in children's homes; street children without proper school facilities; poor homeless communities fighting for low-cost housing; foreign nationals denied administrative justice by government officials. The clients have often remained unseen, separated from our office by distance and poverty. But getting results on their behalf has been immensely satisfying, both for the pure principle of enforcing human rights and state obligations, and for their most simple expressions of gratitude. As I leave Grahamstown, it is my turn to say thank you - to the LRC for giving me the responsibility, to the clients for entrusting me with their struggles, to the Canadian International Development Agency for making this possible, and to the Canadian Bar Association for bringing me here. And I echo the words of one of our clients: a luta continua! -By Roanna Tay (April 2009) |