What We Do
Our team at Justice Centre works tirelessly to help refugees, asylum seekers and other forced migrants access protection and basic services in Hong Kong SAR. We also support migrant communities to have their voices heard. Through our work, we seek to support Hong Kong SAR as an inclusive and diverse society.
Read our Theory of Change and Strategic Plan 2023-26 to explore our Vision and Mission in detail.
How We Work
We provide direct support to refugees, asylum seekers and other forced migrants in Hong Kong SAR. Our holistic services enable responsive and timely access to information, representation, counselling and social welfare.
Our team provides tailored support to women, children, LGBTIQA+ individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, stateless persons and other at risk migrant groups.
Staff at Justice Centre work in partnership with civil society and the legal and medical sectors to develop cross-sector and multi-disciplinary expertise and collaborations.
Through community initiatives, Justice Centre’s team supports community voices and helps the communities we work with to participate in Hong Kong society.
We believe that supporting diverse communities help enhance social cohesion and inclusiveness in Hong Kong SAR and benefits the whole society.
Delivering Holistic Services
If you would like to refer clients to our organisation, please complete the appropriate form below:
Legal Services
We work to ensure that the refugees, asylum seekers and other forced migrants have the necessary legal information, support and representation to access protection in Hong Kong SAR.
We provide tailored and dedicated support to migrants who experience unique challenges due to gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, age, race or ethnicity, statelessness and/or other characteristics.
We work in partnership with pro bono lawyers, duty lawyers and legal aid lawyers to deliver accessible and quality legal services.
Social Welfare Services
We support refugees and other forced migrants to access social welfare, including food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and education.
Counselling Services
We connect refugees and other forced migrants to counsellors, who provide free and professional services to support them to overcome trauma and other mental effects of persecution, torture and displacement.
COMMUNITY VOICES
We support refugees and other forced migrants participate in Hong Kong society and raise awareness of issues affecting their communities.
Empowerment initiatives
Through our refugee-led and co-designed leadership programme, we partner with and support refugee leaders to deliver projects that are responsive to community needs and enhance social cohesion and inclusion of marginalised groups.
Our community activities provide an open and safe space for refugees and other forced migrants to come together and share their experiences.
Community Leadership Academy
Our Community Leadership Academy programme is co-designed and co-delivered by refugees. The programme provides leadership training and support refugees to kickstart initiatives that enhance social cohesion and inclusiveness in Hong Kong SAR.
Application for the 2023 programme is now open. Please refer to programme details and application form here.
Training & Technical Assistance
If you would like to request technical assistance for a non-refoulement protection claim or a related case, please complete the appropriate form below:
We provide technical assistance to the legal community.
We deliver regular CPD/CLE accredited training courses on refugee law, and Hong Kong SAR non-refoulement law practice and procedure. We also host legal groups to workshop specific issues, such as credibility, expert evidence, immigration detention and vulnerable witness procedures.
We work closely with pro bono lawyers, duty lawyers and legal aid lawyers to provide technical support throughout USM proceedings (first instance and appeal), legal aid proceedings, judicial review applications and other related procedures within Hong Kong SAR’s legal system (e.g., civil proceedings for unlawful detention claims).
We also deliver Clinical Legal Education (for university law students in their penultimate year) and the Young Advocates Programme (for secondary/high school students) to grow the next generation of refugee protection professionals.
Updated Removal Policy
In light of the commencement of the Updated Removal Policy from 7 December 2022, Justice Centre has prepared a fact sheet for the refugee and asylum-seeking community to understand how their legal rights could be affected, and what they could do. In partnership with the UN Refugee Agency, we have translated the fact sheet into a total of 10 languages.
You may access this fact sheet at https://cutt.ly/JCHK-Factsheet-UpdatedRemovalPolicy. Please note that this is a live document that will be updated on a rolling basis as more information becomes available. You could also pass on the above link to your family, friends and others in the community.
If you would like to learn more through a community briefing, please email us at info@justicencetre.org.hk with the subject “[Updated Removal Policy] Seeking community briefing”. This is also available to any NGOs and organisations that work with asylum seekers in Hong Kong.
Working in Partnership
Collaboration is at the heart of our working model. We partner with civil society organisations, law firms, barrister chambers, law schools, private medical practices and other groups to deliver our services.
We partner with leading law firms in Hong Kong SAR, which provide invaluable pro bono support and resources, and enable us to deliver our work. Read more about our pro bono partnerships here.
We also partner with local and international universities to deliver clinical legal education.
We work closely with medical practitioners and other groups to fill the social welfare gap.
Areas of Work
Our direct services enable our clients to access protection, rehabilitation and redress.
Supplementing our casework, our community initiatives contribute to a harmonious and inclusive society.
Why it matters
We work with lawyers, social workers, medical professionals, NGO workers and community leaders across Hong Kong to ensure that the most marginalised members of Hong Kong society have access to legal help and basic services.
We believe this work is both vital and invaluable to Hong Kong SAR as a diverse and inclusive society. But don’t take our word for it; hear from some of those we’ve worked with:
Publications
We publish many publications over on our research page. They cover various topics with in-depth analysis and case study discussions.