Dr. Katrine Camilleri

Content created by Virtual Intern Bridget Raymundo

Dr. Katrine Camilleri is a Maltese lawyer and Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Malta. She advocates for migrants, often at personal risk and is known for her work with boat refugees. Dr. Camilleri was awarded the United Nations Nansen Refugee Award in 2007 and the Roland Berger Human Dignity Award in 2015. This year, she was awarded the Julia Taft Refugee Fund award by the U.S. Embassy in Malta. She is often sought-after as a tough yet compassionate voice on migration and her work provides professional services, including information, legal assistance, and psychosocial support to migrants and asylum seekers arriving in Malta.

In 2008, Dr. Camilleri participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project "Managing Integration of Refugees and Asylum Seekers with Emphasis on African Migrants." During the exchange, she noted that "Beyond and in spite of the huge differences between the United States, and my country Malta, which is a tiny island in the Mediterranean, public and political discourse on immigration could sound eerily similar.”

Dr. Camilleri found that public opinion, law, and policy are shaped not just by objective considerations like the availability of resources, but by fear. This is why she steadfastly continues her work to counter negative stereotypes about migration. As mentioned in her Politico highlight, Dr. Katrine Camilleri is "a longtime advocate of creating safe routes of passage for those fleeing war zones and hardship, and seeking a better life in Europe."

Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra