Refugee scoops law honours

By STUART DYE

When the poison gas attacks killed thousands who stood against dictator Saddam Hussein in northern Iraq in 1988, Karwan Eskerie and his family fled for their lives.

With his mother partly blinded by the attack and his father recovering from incarceration as a political prisoner, Mr Eskerie considers he was lucky to stay alive. Many of his extended family died.

The family escaped to Iran but were soon forced to move on again because of the large numbers of refugees arriving. They crossed the border to Pakistan where they stayed for nine years.

Then in 1999, Mr Eskerie and his family came to New Zealand as refugees for a fresh start.

Yesterday the 23-year-old University of Auckland student was awarded the Simpson Grierson Employment Law Prize after topping his class.

It is a huge achievement for Mr Eskerie, who also won the employment mooting prize this year.

"I'm part of a very, very small number of refugee children who managed to get an education and that background has perhaps given me the drive to succeed.

"It's very special for my family because they have been involved in politics and the movement against the Saddam Hussein regime for some time. Through all this they wanted to make sure I got a proper education. They will be very happy that it has worked out."

Mr Eskerie has been accepted as an intern for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Canberra, where he will practice refugee law for three months this summer.

After his time in Australia, Mr Eskerie says, he wants to return to New Zealand and begin full-time work in a law firm.

Auckland University employment law lecturer Bill Hodge said Mr Eskerie was an all-round outstanding student who was an obvious candidate for the prize.

In the past year Simpson Grierson has awarded a summer school employment law prize worth $1500 and nine scholarships worth a combined value of $27,000.