We are delighted to announce the addition of two new staff members to Right to Remain, joining us to strengthen and expand our public legal education work.
Raggi Kotak will start in June as our Senior Legal Education Officer, working three days a week. Raggi brings to Right to Remain her invaluable insight and wisdom gained from many years of legal practice as a barrister, challenging issues of racism and injustice. Raggi has extensive experience in using the law to create more equitable outcomes across various sectors and through the court system, and is also an Organisational Development Consultant working through an anti-oppression lens.
Ally Swadling will join us in July as our Legal Education Officer, on a full-time basis. She will be located in Leeds. Ally has worked as a young person’s caseworker at PAFRAS in Leeds for the last 7 years, and will bring significant casework, training delivery, collaboration and not-for-profit sector experience to Right to Remain. Ally has also been community organising since 2010 and is a founding member of Leeds Anti-Raids Action.
Raggi and Ally will be joining our existing team of Eiri Ohtani (Director), Maggy Moyo (These Walls Must Fall Organiser – North West), Esther Doherty (Engagement Officer), Leah Cowling (Legal Education Officer) and Savan Shah (Finance and Operations Manager).
Eiri Ohtani, Director, said:
“At the time our communities of migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum are constantly scapegoated and struggling to secure their safety and belonging in the UK, we are pleased to welcome Raggi and Ally. They will strengthen our staff team and our vital public legal education work, with their deep understanding of our communities’ challenges and hopes as people try to navigate the UK’s hostile asylum and immigration system.
The UK’s Hostile Environment has inflicted enormous harm and long-lasting grief upon us. Immigration detention is expanding, destitution is baked into our daily lives and migrant exploitation remains rampant. The inflammatory, divisive language that dehumanises our communities is ever present in the public sphere, as if nothing has been learned from last year’s race riots that terrified us. The asylum and immigration legal system remains a Kafkaesque nightmare, while the Government denies our communities’ access to legal advice, representation and justice. Amidst all of this, we know that our public legal education work remains a lifeline for many, and Raggi and Ally, together with Leah Cowling, our Legal Education Officer in London, will play a critical role in expanding our work.
Right to Remain is committed to raising our game as the anchor organisation for the migration justice movement, to respond to our communities’ desires for knowledge, radical solidarity and power. Together with Raggi and Ally, we will continue to build on the huge stride we have made over the last three years, together in solidarity with all of you.”
You can see the full staff line-up here.
Discussion: