Alumni Magazine Issue 5

Helping those in need Abu Bangura BACHELOR OF LAWS/BACHELOR OF ARTS (POLITICS & JOURNALISM) CLASS OF 2011 In 2004, after escaping his war-torn homeland, Sierra Leone, Abu arrived in Australia. Since then he has immersed himself in the world of academia. Abu has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (Politics & Journalism) from Notre Dame, a Masters of International Law fromThe University of Sydney, a Masters of Law in Human Rights and Social Justice, and most recently a PhD in Law, both fromThe University of New South Wales. Impassioned by his experiences as a refugee, Abu has dedicated his research towards the protection of civilians in armed conflict. His studies focused on areas such as identifying the challenges of protecting civilians in armed conflicts and how the United Nations Security Council has sought to address these challenges using its powers under the UN Charter. Abu volunteered at the Marrickville Legal Centre while completing his undergraduate degrees, and currently works at the Refugee Advice and Casework Service, assisting refugees with legal claims and protections. He has also been instrumental in developing a curriculum for the Masters of Law, International Law in Human Rights program at the University of Makeni, the first Catholic university in Sierra Leone. Abu has most recently joined Notre Dame in a professional capacity as an Adjunct Lecturer for the School of Law and is working on publishing his first book. I N T E R N A T I O N A L A L U M N I Alumni Magazine – Page 8 O U R A L U M N I