When international lawyer Gillian Triggs stepped up to the lectern to deliver the inaugural Kildare Ministries Crossing New Seas Oration, she brought with her decades of experience in human rights law and refugee protection. Source: Melbourne Catholic.
Her message was urgent: we are facing a global displacement crisis of unprecedented scale, and our response must be one of shared responsibility, practical solutions and, above all, humanity and compassion.
The numbers alone are staggering. More than 125 million people worldwide are seeking protection, whether as refugees, asylum seekers or those internally displaced within their own countries. Of these, 43.4 million are formally recognised as asylum seekers and refugees.
The largest group, however, comprises the 68 million people displaced within their own borders, their plight often overlooked.
“This crisis is not new, but the scale and complexity are unprecedented’, Professor Triggs said at the March 18 event, held at Star of the Sea College, in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton.
Professor Triggs has served as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations (including as Assistant High Commissioner for Protection from 2019 to 2023) and as President of the Australian Human Rights Commission from 2012 to 2017.
She said that over the past decade, displacement has tripled due to a complex interplay of factors: war, political instability, persecution, climate change and failing governance. She said the overwhelming reason people flee their homes, however, is violence.
“We live in an unstable, volatile world, where the international regime for peace through the United Nations and human rights laws has been up-ended and challenged in unimaginable ways,” Professor Triggs said.
She said that while displacement grows, many nations are retreating from their commitments to social justice and human rights, and the need to protect those forced to flee, prioritising security over sanctuary.
Hosted by Kildare Ministries, the Crossing New Seas Oration will serve as an annual forum for connection, dialogue and inspiration, addressing key issues at the intersection of faith, social justice, education and contemporary global challenges.
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‘Crossing New Seas’ Oration highlights responsibility to welcome and protect (By Fiona Basile, Melbourne Catholic)
