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University of Kent

Freedom of Movement, Refugees, Traffickers, and Smugglers

University of Kent via FutureLearn

Overview

Discover the laws that govern human migration

Where we are born and the borders we’re allowed to cross is a matter of chance. Some people are free to move almost anywhere in the world because of their nationality, while others are in very different situations.

On this course, you’ll examine the complex network of laws and policies that inform human migration in the 21st Century and explore the significant tension between international legal obligations and national sovereignty.

Examine the right to freedom of movement

With tensions between the right to freedom of movement and the sovereign right to control borders, you’ll explore the human right to leave any country and what’s left of it when states strengthen their borders and deter people from arriving in, or leaving, their territories.

You’ll then look at the Refugee Convention, identifying what constitutes a refugee and the protections it provides refugees. With this in mind, you’ll consider the Convention’s overall strengths and weaknesses, especially as it relates to 21st Century migration.

Explore the consequences of deterritorialisation

Today, border controls of the state of destination are often implemented inside the state of origin or on the high seas, far from the borders of destination states. This deterritorialisation prevents travellers from leaving their own country, let alone reaching the border of the country of destination.

Analyse trafficking and smuggling protocols

On this course, you’ll examine the ways in which the anti-trafficking and the anti-smuggling treaties serve to further strengthen border controls and increase the vulnerability of migrants fleeing violence and persecution etc.

This course has been designed for anyone looking to develop a critical understanding of migration laws. It will be of specific interest to people working for national and international governmental and non-governmental organisations involved in the field of migration, and also lawyers wanting to deepen their knowledge base.

If you want to further your knowledge, you may be interested in these courses from the same provider. They share a related subject matter and the same overall learning outcomes:

  • Law and the Framing of Migrants and Migration
  • Law’s Absence and Law’s Failings

Syllabus

  • Border controls and freedom of movement
    • Introduction
    • Border controls
    • The right to freedom of movement in international law
    • The impact of globalisation on migrant movements
    • Wrap up
  • Asylum seekers and refugees
    • Introduction
    • Analysis of the protections provided by the Refugee Convention 1951
    • Relevance of the Refugee Convention in the 21st century
    • Wrap up
  • Deterritorialisation of border controls
    • Introduction
    • A focus on visas
    • Focus on interdictions at sea
    • Consequences for migrants of deterritorialisation of border controls
    • Assignment: border controls in migration crises
    • Wrap up
  • Human trafficking and smuggling of persons
    • Introduction
    • Key provisions of the Trafficking Protocol
    • Analysis of the Protocols
    • Wrap up

Taught by

Sian Lewis-Anthony

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