31.03.11
Broad humanitarian experience and legal expertise unites in the 47-year-old lawyer Eva Singer, new head of the Asylum Department in the Danish Refugee Council. The background includes positions with the UN Human Rights Centre, UNHCR, and the Danish Immigration Service as Deputy Head of the Asylum Division.
Eva Singer received her law degree form the University of Copenhagen in 1988. She has spent years dealing with human rights and refugees in places as diverse as Geneva, Manila and Stockholm. Since 1996, Eva Singer has been employed in the Danish Immigration Service.
"We wanted a professional capacity and that is what we got. Eva Singer has an extensive knowledge of the Danish legislation as well as international conventions relating to refugee protection and human rights. The Asylum Department is characterized by a high level of legal expertise, which means we can effectively advocate refugee rights - both in relation to the authorities and as participants in public debate on refugee issues, "says Secretary General of the Danish Refugee Council, Andreas Kamm.
Asylum seekers in Denmark are entitled to counselling from the Danish Refugee Council. Lawyers from the Asylum Department provide legal counselling in asylum centres, prisons, and from an open counselling service in Copenhagen.
"The Danish Refugee Council is known for its efficiency and high standards in relation to the counselling of asylum seekers, but the organization has also documented that there is a need for enhanced cooperation with other actors such as authorities, police, Danish Red Cross and the UN - that will be one of the areas of attention in the time to come," says Eva Singer.
Eva Singer has previously volunteered in the Danish Refugee Asylum Department, while she waited to be sent to Manila through the UNHCR: Eva is now she's ready to return to an organisation that is at the same time familiar and different from the one she left.
"I know the Danish Refugee Council from my time as a volunteer and through my years in the Immigration Service. But now I become a part of an organisation that has transformed during the past ten years and become the largest international NGO in Denmark with operations in 30 countries on three continents - that's an inspiration to me with my past experiences in the area of humanitarian work, "says Eva Singer.
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