Biography

Lúcia Arruda, I am a Ph.D. student in Human Rights in Contemporary Societies, at CES/ Coimbra University, since 2019, with the research project "Contesting the Borders of Human Rights in Portugal and Italy". For the last two decades, I have been working as a political and social activist. Holding a law degree, and a master's in Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention, from the University of Bologna,2002. Between 2008/and 2016 I worked as the legal advisor of Bloco de Esquerda at the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, in which, in 2016, I held the position of Parliament member for Bloco Esquerda/Açores. Between 2004 and 2008, I worked as a legal adviser at the Regional Human Mobility Support Network, with the NGOs Kairós and ARRISCA in the development of social justice policies and Human Rights defense of refugees and migrants communities, citizens returning compulsively from the USA, and Canada, ex-prisoners, and victims of gender violence. In 2003, I collaborated on the project Lake Worth for Global Justice, on the regularization of South American migrants community, residents in Florida/USA. In 1997/99 I also held the legal adviser position at APAV- Portuguese Victim Support Association. In 2001, conducting a project, "Understanding Human Rights and Citizenship", at the elementary schools in Matutine/Mozambique, a collaboration with UNPOS/United Nations Human Development Programme at Local Level/Mozambique and the Department of Political Science at Bologna University. In 2001, was an external collaborator in the research project "Indigenous Identity", in the Department of Political Science/University of Bologna and Amilcar Cabral Center. In 2001 collaborated with Professor Pier Cesare Bori on the project "Altra Via", an intercultural project developed at Dozza/Bologna penitentiary with migrants in legal custody. The main research areas of interest are the intersecting themes of migration and refugees, human rights, racism/ neocolonialism, solidarity, and social movements action.