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43 Alternative L.J. 231 (2018)
Law & Culture

handle is hein.journals/alterlj43 and id is 226 raw text is: Law & Culture Law & Culture THE LEGAL PROTECTION OF REFUGEES WITH DISABILITIES: Forgotten and invisible? Mary Crock, Laura Smith-Khan, Ron McCallum and Ben Saul; Edward Elgar, 2017; 336 pages; $140 (hardback) This is an excellent book which makes a significant, ori- ginal contribution to the field of international law. It deals with an important legal issue of contemporary relevance and I highly recommend it. The legal protection of refugees with disabilities has not, to date, been sufficiently analysed by scholars. There have been a number of important developments at inter- national law in relation to refugees with disabilities: in 2008, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) came into effect. The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) has also recognised that refugees with disabilities are more likely to be sidelined in relation to humanitarian assistance due to physical, environmental and societal barriers against accessing information, health and rehabilitation services and human rights protections. More recently, the UN Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action was adopted in 201 6 at the World Humanitarian Summit. However, there was a significant gap in the academic literature on the issue of refugees with disabilities. This book, written by prominent legal scholars in the field, is a comprehensive, well-written examination of this under- explored area and is a welcome addition to the literature on refugee protection and humanitarian action. The book clearly sets out its two main aims in the Introduction: first, to document what the authors have learned of the experiences of persons with disabilities living in displacement. Second, to explore the impact that the CRPD is having in humanitarian relief and assist- ance, and in longer term efforts to accommodate the needs of refugees with disabilities (particularly in the practice of states, international organisations and non- governmental organizations (NGOs)). It achieves these aims and makes some important con- clusions as to how the CRPD is, or should be, changing the way that governments and aid agencies engage with and accommodate refugees with disabilities. It looks at this in relation to a number of key areas, including maritime interdiction, refugee status determination Alternative Low journal 2018, Vol. 43(3) 231-234 @ The Author(s) 2018 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10. 1177/1037969X 18799890 journals.sagepub.com/home/altl *SAGE procedures, the provision of humanitarian assistance and the granting of durable solutions to refugees. I found the discussion of the role of resettlement in Chapter I I to be particularly compelling in this regard. Key resettlement countries across the world are increas- ingly focusing resettlement on those with skills who are perceived to be able to bring economic benefit to the host country. As the authors note, this may allow coun- tries to discriminate against those with a disability. Therefore, the authors advocate the implementation of a CRPD-based approach to help ensure that all refugees have equal access to a durable solution. One of the book's main strengths is that it draws on fieldwork carried out in six countries - Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Uganda, Jordan and Turkey. It reflects the real experiences of refugees living with disabilities and has benefited from input from UNHCR. The empirical work in the book is grounded in a solid theoretical foundation. In terms of the practical utility of this book, I note that several NGOs have urged for the inclusion of a stand- alone paragraph on refugees with disabilities in the Global Compact on Refugees, to ensure that refugees with disabilities are included in the development, imple- mentation and monitoring of the proposed comprehen- sive refugee response.' I hope that this book informs continuing work in this context and that the position of refugees with disabilities is more fully considered in the formulation of both international and domestic refu- gee law standards. Maria O'Sullivan is a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law in the Faculty of Law at Monash University. A HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN LEGAL EDUCATION David Barker; The Federation Press, 2017; 275 pages; $59.95 (softback) An ordinary, reasonable reader of Australian legal affairs may be under the impression that the law school cannot hold. According to the recurring reports, students are being deprived of relevant practical skills, leaving them destitute in a barren job market that sits just beyond the horizon of graduation; at the same time, the dominant black-letter approach to legal education, which obscures 'See, eg, International Disability Alliance, Recommendation to Include a Stand-Alone Paragraph on Refugees with Disabilities in the Global Compact on Refugees www.unhcr.0rglen-aulevents/conferences/5afbfe~c7/international-disability-alliance-recommendation-include-stand-alone-paragraph.html.

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