The Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees (AVID) is a network of visitor groups visiting people in immigration detention across the UK, as well as a platform for collective action to influence immigration detention policy and raise awareness of the impact of detention. AVID faced a familiar but difficult challenge: how to involve those with lived experience of immigration detention in their work in a meaningful way while navigating the complex legal risks that could arise due to their immigration status. AVID needed expert legal guidance.
Through its Refugee-Led Clearinghouse, a legal matching portal run by PILnet, AVID was connected with a law firm that could provide this advice for free (‘pro bono’). The goal was simple but profound: help the organization safely and fairly bring individuals with lived detention experience into their team without exposing the organization or those individuals to serious legal risks.
The pro bono lawyers offered invaluable insights into two critical areas: the risks of hiring individuals with uncertain immigration status and the nuances of fair compensation. Understanding and mitigating these risks can enable those with powerful stories to contribute to the advocacy work of NGOs like AVID.
“Balancing lived experience with the risks people face due to their immigration status is a challenge,” shared AVID’s Director, Miranda Reilly, “Through PILnet’s partnership with a law firm, we created policies that respect these individuals’ contributions without jeopardizing their safety.”
The law firm also helped rework AVID’s recruitment strategies, addressing concerns about indirect discrimination. This guidance was essential in shaping an inclusive and legal hiring process that brings those with lived experience into decision-making roles.
The impact went beyond the organization itself. The legal advice didn’t just improve their internal policies—it spread through their wider network of immigration detention visitor groups. The organization compiled their newfound legal knowledge into a memo, sharing it with other groups to help them navigate the same legal hurdles.
This knowledge sharing has proven to be a game-changer. It sparked a vital conversation around the transformational change that is so urgently needed. Navigating a complex legal framework, crafting intentionally inclusive procedures, and meaningfully integrating those with lived experience are undeniably challenging tasks. Yet, at its core, this work is about belonging and the redistribution of power.
“The absence of belonging is akin to death by a thousand cuts—each policy and procedure acting as a blade, deepening the wound of exclusion,” said AVID Co-Director Gee Manoharan. “It’s not simply a matter of implementing legal safeguards; it’s about dismantling the dehumanizing barriers entrenched within these systems. When systems are engineered to exclude, true inclusivity does not stop at reform—it demands nothing less than radical transformation. Our policies and memo have sparked this essential dialogue within our network, helping to deepen our collective understanding.”
A Model for the Future
For AVID, the legal advice they received through PILnet wasn’t just a one-off service. It’s given them the tools to better understand and manage legal risks, freeing up staff to focus on what they do best—advocating for the rights and voices of those who know the system firsthand. They strongly agreed that without PILnet’s refugee-led clearinghouse, this kind of expert legal help would have been out of reach.
Looking Ahead
This partnership highlights the crucial role that legal support plays in empowering organizations to take bold steps toward inclusion. It’s also a reminder of how pro bono legal services can help organizations navigate complex issues and increase representation at all levels. AVID found this experience particularly beneficial and has documented their insights in a blog post titled “Shifting Power: The Importance of Policies and Procedures,” which offers further reflections on their journey.
The legal advice facilitated by PILnet has opened new doors—allowing AVID to push forward confidently with their lived-experience engagement projects. And for other NGOs facing similar challenges, AVID’s story is proof that having the right legal backing can help make meaningful refugee participation a reality.
