As a Lebanese Australian, the country I live in feels hostile to my pain – and by extension, to me. By Sherine Al Shallah, The Guardian

I am a lawyer and an international law scholar researching refugee cultural heritage protection. If people are forced to migrate or flee as refugees, I want to find a way for them to take their cultural objects along. I was drawn to international law because of its values. That we are all born with equal rights to life and freedom. Until I realised, we are not.

As a Lebanese Australian, the country I live in feels hostile to my pain – and by extension, to me. By Sherine Al Shallah, The Guardian