Steering Committee

Mr. Aleem Bharmal, KC is a human rights lawyer with the Community Legal Assistance Society (“CLAS”) and was its former Executive Director for 12 years from late 2007 to 2019. Mr. Bharmal has practiced human right law for over 20 years at CLAS, a not-for-profit legal organization advancing dignity, equality and justice in BC since 1971. Mr. Bharmal has been a presenter on human rights, social justice, access to justice, and legal ethics issues. He served as the President of the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC) for the 2022-23 term and has Chaired or been on the executive of a number of CBABC Sections and Committees, including the Social Justice and Human Rights Sections, the Policy & Advocacy and Finance Committees, among others. Mr. Bharmal is also a CBABC law student mentor with the UBC Allard School of Law, his alma mater.

Hasan Alam is a Staff Lawyer at the B.C. General Employees’ Union where he practices Labour and Human Rights Law. He is also the supervising lawyer for the Archway Migrant Workers and Poverty Law Clinics. Hasan helped to co-found the ILAH in 2016 and serves in the role of the Community Liaison. He is also the Vice President of the BC Civil Liberties Associations, the oldest and most active civil liberties group in Canada. Hasan is currently on leave.

Sania Chaudhry is a lawyer with Forte Workplace Law offering services to employers and employees in employment, labour and human rights matters, as well as conducting workplace investigations and respectful workplace training for clients in both Alberta and BC. She completed her Masters of Law at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law, with her research focusing on critical race theory and administrative law in the context of reasonable apprehension of bias. She is also a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law teaching critical race theory and law. She was named one of 2023’s Top 25 Influential Lawyers by Canadian Lawyer Magazine in the Changemaker category.

Aisha Afzal is a registered social worker and psychotherapist committed to providing compassionate, culturally responsive mental health care. She supports clients in both the public health system and a community-based practice, grounding her work in trauma-informed, anti-oppressive principles. Aisha holds a Master of Social Work with a clinical mental health focus from the University of Toronto and post-graduate training in various therapeutic modalities. Guided by a deep commitment to collective care and justice, she serves on the steering committee of the Islamophobia Legal Assistance Hotline to help build accessible, affirming support for those affected by Islamophobia.