Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Faculty of Law organized a panel titled “Legal Dimensions of Migrant Trafficking” in memory of Prof. Dr. Esin Konanç. The symposium that was organized in memory of the Late Faculty of Law Dean who passed away in a tragic car accident on the 20th December 2009 took place at the EMU Faculty of Law Building Hall L308, at 10:00 on the 20th of December 2017. The panel was attended by members of academic staff Prof. Dr. Sema Taşpınar Ayvaz, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Nuhoğlu, Asst. Prof. Dr. Can Azer, Asst. Prof. Dr. Seda Orbay Yücel and Asst. Prof. Dr. Nurcan Gündüz as well as many EMU Faculty of Law students. The panel commenced with a reading of Prof. Dr. Esin Konanç’s bio and a slide show comprising of her photos.
“She Loved Students Like They Were Her Own Children”
In the opening speech of the panel, Vice Dean of the EMU Faculty of Law Asst. Prof. Dr. Arzu Alibaba noted that the passing of Prof. Dr. Esin Konanç is still very fresh in their minds. As well as being a very successful academician Asst. Prof. Dr. Alibaba stated that more importantly Prof. Dr. Konanç was a good person. Asst. Prof. Dr. Alibaba concluded by providing students information about Prof. Dr. Konanç’s work. In a speech of her own, panel session moderator and EMU Faculty of Law academic staff member Prof. Dr. Sema Taşpınar Ayvaz noted that she first met Prof. Dr. Konanç in 2003 and that she was an honest, fair and principled person. Indicating that a lot of Prof. Dr. Konanç’s work concerned children, Prof. Dr. Taşpınar expressed that despite not having any children she loved her students like they were her own children. “We miss and remember her with respect. May she rest in peace.”
Other panel speakers Prof. Dr. Ayşe Nuhoğlu, Asst. Prof. Dr. Can Azer, Asst. Prof. Dr. Seda Orbay Yücel and Asst. Prof. Dr Nurcan Gündüz also shared their memories of Prof. Dr. Esin Konanç and evaluated the legal dimensions of human trafficking. The panel also drew attention to the difficulties faced by people who are forced to migrate from the places they live such as Syria, highlighting the human dimensions of migration.
