PROTECT and the University of Bergen-team is lucky to have Matilde Rocca from University of Padova as a guest researcher visiting us in Bergen!
Matilde Rocca is a PhD Candidate in the program of ‘Human rights, society and multi-level governance’ at the University of Padova (Italy). Her current PhD research is focused on the role of non-state actors (NSAs) in the violation of human rights of migrants crossing the Mediterranean and to what extent they have changed the level of human rights protection accorded to migrants. In addition, Rocca’s research project assesses the way in which the involvement of NSAs in migratory operations has shaped international human rights law (IHRL) and the international law of the sea. Specifically, her research project aims to explore whether NSAs could be held liable under international human rights law for the abuses committed against forced migrants, thus filling a current big lacuna in existing scholar writings.
On 29th April, she will present reflections from her PhD research project in more detail, as part of an IMER online seminar: a) How have NSAs shaped and changed the status of migrants and their protection in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea? b) To what extent does their impact expand or restrict human rights protection? c) How has NSAs’ involvement impacted responsibility allocation for the violation of human rights in international waters?
If you are interested in these issues, you can follow the webinar, here.