'What are human rights?' was the opening question at Patricia Dos Santos' (Amnesty International UK) Wollstonecraft lecture, which was unlike anything we have seen before. What made this lecture special was that we were lucky enough to be able to listen to Syrian refugee, Steve Ali, and his experience as a refugee and the struggles he faced. His story really showed how this could have happened to anyone.

Steve was a normal guy who was studying at university and aspired to be an architect, until the war forced him to leave his country. He showed pictures of his home city Damascus before the war and after it was destroyed. He also shared his pain at being the only person still alive and witnessing the boat next to him sink.

Steve spoke clearly and confidently, and opened the hearts of the audience. We are so grateful to have had an opportunity to listen to a refugee's perspective and hopefully, this lecture opened the minds of many. Going forward, we hope that the girls will get involved in the Refugee Family Reunion Bill which would allow more refugee families to be reunited in safety in the UK. The bill will receive its second reading on the 16 March and it is important that we are able to help those in need with something as simple as a signature.