Summer Interns for 2008 are working at the following organizations:
Alternative Law Forum (ALF)
India
ALF has provided legal support to groups and people marginalized on the basis of class, caste, disability, gender or sexuality. ALF has in the past litigated on behalf of sex workers, people with HIV/AIDS, laborers, disabled people, women and poor people. Their objective remains to provide quality legal services to people who are otherwise unable to access it. ALF nurtures a strong and vibrant intern community, providing the space to question and rethink some of the basic norms of the legal practice.
Amnesty International (AI)
United Kingdom
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights to be respected and protected for everyone. AI believes human rights abuses anywhere are the concern of people everywhere. Outraged by human rights abuses but inspired by hope for a better world, AI works to improve people’s lives through campaigning and international solidarity. Their mission is to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated.
Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (ADC, Association for Civil Rights)
Argentina
ADC is a non-profit, non-governmental and non-partisan organization. It was founded in 1995 in Argentina with the purpose of contributing to the
establishment of a legal and institutional culture that would guarantee fundamental rights to the inhabitants of our country, based on respect for
the Constitution. It promotes and advocates for respect for the fundamental rights and defends the rights of the inhabitants of Argentina as well as
aiming to contribute to the strengthening of democratic institutions, with special emphasis on the justice system
BADIL
Palestine
Established in 1998, BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency & Refugee Rights takes a rights-based approach to the Palestinian refugee issue through research, advocacy and support of community participation in the search for durable solutions. BADIL ('badeel') is an Arabic word that means 'alternative'. BADIL's alternative approach to the question of Palestinian refugees and displaced persons is based on international law, relevant UN resolutions, and the participation of refugees themselves. BADIL actively encourages voluntary participation of grassroots activists, local and international experts, and regional and international partners based on the vision of BADIL as a community-based organization.
Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
Argentina
The Center for Legal and Social Studies is a non-governmental organization that has been working since 1979 in the promotion and protection of human rights and to strengthen the democratic system in Argentina. The institution’s main objectives focus on: reporting human rights violations; influencing the policy-making process based on respect for the fundamental rights; promoting legal and institutional reforms designed to improve the quality of democratic institutions; and promoting an increased exercise of these rights by the most vulnerable sectors in society.
Centro de Implementación de Políticas Públicas para la Equidad y el
Crecimiento (CIPPEC)
Argentina
Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth is a private, non-profit organization that strives to create a more just,
democratic, and efficient State in Argentina to improve the quality of life for all Argentine citizens. It works to turn sound ideas into concrete
policies in the areas of education, public health, justice, transparency, and public spending. Its focus is on alleviating factors like deterioration
of education and public health; scarce access to justice; weak political institutions; corruption; and fiscal insolvency.
EarthRights International
Thailand
EarthRights International is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization that combines the power of law and the power of people in defense of earth rights. We specialize in fact-finding, legal actions against perpetrators of earth rights abuses, training grassroots and community leaders, and advocacy campaigns. Through these strategies, ERI seeks to end earth rights abuses, to provide real solutions for real people, and to promote and protect human rights and the environment in the communities where we work.
The Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Program (FMRS) at American University in Cairo (AUC)
Egypt
The Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Program at AUC is a program of education, research and outreach that seeks to improve the understanding, policies and practices of those who are concerned or work directly with refugees and other forced migrants. While maintaining a global and comparative perspective, FMRS focuses on the particular issues and circumstances of displacement in Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin from multiple viewpoints, including those of host societies, policy makers, states, humanitarian organizations, and in particular, of the forced migrants themselves.
Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (Uganda)
Uganda
The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative is an independent, non-governmental, non-partisan and not-for-profit human rights advocacy organization established in December 1991 to enhance the knowledge, respect and observance of human rights, promote exchange of information and best practices through training, education, research, advocacy, lobbying, and strategic partnerships. It seeks to remove impediments to democratic development and meaningful enjoyment of the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the 1995 Constitution and other internationally recognized human rights instruments.
La Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN)
Argentina
The Environment and Natural Resources Foundation was founded in 1985. It is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization, [without partisan] whose main objective is to promote sustainable development through politics, law and the institutional organization of the company. The beneficiaries of FARN’s work are mainly public and private decision-makers.
Human Rights Education Institute of Burma
Thailand
Human Rights Education Institute of Burma envisions a society where human rights education is institutionalized as a potent tool for building a peaceful, tolerant and democratic Burma that respects and promotes all aspects of human rights for all. Its mission is to empower people through human rights education to engage in social transformation and promote a culture of human rights for all.
Human Rights Law Network (HRLN)
India
The Human Rights Law Network is a collective of lawyers and social activists dedicated to the use of legal system to advance human rights. HRLN collaborates with social movements, human rights organizations, and grass-roots development groups to enforce the rights of children, dalits (members of oppressed Hindu class), people with disabilities, farmers, HIV positive people, the homeless, indigenous people, prisoners, refugees, religious and sexual minorities, women, and workers, among others. HRLN provides pro bono legal services, conducts public interest litigation, engages in advocacy, conducts legal awareness programs, investigates violations, publishes 'know your rights' materials, and participates in campaigns.
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)
Tanzania
The purpose of this measure is to contribute to the process of national reconciliation in Rwanda and to the maintenance of peace in the region. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was established for the prosecution of persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994. It may also deal with the prosecution of Rwandan citizens responsible for genocide and other such violations of international law committed in the territory of neighboring States during the same period.
International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
Switzerland
The International Service for Human Rights is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) serving human rights defenders. It was established in 1984 by members of a number of NGOs in Geneva to help defenders access the international human rights system. This remains its distinctive role more than 20 years later. ISHR's vision is the development, strengthening, effective use and implementation of international and regional standards and mechanisms for the protection and promotion of human rights. ISHR works toward this vision by providing analytical and practical information on UN human rights mechanisms; training on how to use international and regional norms and procedures; strategic advice for effective lobbying; contributions to standard-setting; and logistical support to enable human rights defenders from around the world to take full advantage of international human rights law and procedures.
Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)
Thailand
KESAN is a non-profit, grassroots organization created by Karen individuals who share a
concern for the future of Indigenous land. KESAN addresses environmental concerns from a local, Karen point of view. Kesan
holds that the preservation of Indigenous knowledge can protect rivers, forests and lands
for the future. Furthermore, they believe that indigenous lands and indigenous culture are
inextricably linked, and that environmental and cultural protection begins with
empowerment.
Legal Resources Centre
South Africa
The Legal Resources Centre is an independent, client-based, non-profit public interest law clinic which uses law as an instrument of justice. It works for the development of a fully democratic society based on the principle of substantive equality, by providing free legal services for the vulnerable and marginalized, including the poor, homeless, and landless people and communities of South Africa who suffer discrimination by reason of race, class, gender, disability or by reason of social, economic, and historical circumstances. The LRC is a law clinic that seeks creative and effective solutions by using a range of strategies, including impact litigation, law reform, participation in partnerships and development processes, education and networking within and outside South Africa.
South African Human Rights Commission
South Africa
The South African Human Rights Commission is a national institution established to entrench constitutional democracy through the promotion and protection of human rights by addressing human rights violations and seeking effective redress for such violations, monitoring and assessing the observance of human rights, raising awareness of human rights issues, and educating and training on human rights. The SAHRC works with government, civil society and individuals, both nationally and abroad, to fulfill its Constitutional mandate.
Southeast Asian Rivers Network (SEARIN)
Thailand
Southeast Asia Rivers Network was launched on March 14, 1999, the International Day of Action against Dams and for Rivers, Water and Life. SEARIN was established by academics and NGO activists who have been working on social and environmental issues in Thailand, particularly on the environmental and social problems caused by large dams, and state policies on resource management. SEARIN is a campaign-based organization, working to support local community rights to their rivers, and to oppose threats to rivers and their ecosystems in mainland south-east Asia, such as large dams and water diversion projects.
Timap for Justice
Sierra Leone
Timap for Justice is a pioneering effort to provide basic justice services in Sierra Leone. Because of a shortage of lawyers in the country and because of Sierra Leone’s dualist legal structure, Timap’s frontline is made up of community-based paralegals rather than lawyers. Directed by two lawyers who train, supervise, and support the paralegals in their work, Timap for Justice has developed a creative, flexible model to advance justice, one which combines education, mediation, negotiation, organizing, and advocacy.
UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region
Thailand
With offices in Thailand, Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam, UNIAP is committed to building a united front on human trafficking, and taking action based on the needs of each country. UNIAP Thailand works in four core areas: Building the Knowledge Base on Human Trafficking; Supporting Action on High Priority Areas; Targeted Interventions that Respond to Identified Gaps; and Strengthening Advocacy on the Issue of Human Trafficking.
Unidos por la Justicia
Argentina
Unidos por la Justicia is a non-profit, civil society organization that was founded in 2003. Its primary aims are to design, implement, disseminate and
promote public legal and judicial policies; to promote and encourage the study of all topics linked to legal and judicial system improvement; and to
disseminate scientific research and formulate legislative bills related to the functioning and improvement of the judicial and legal systems.
The Welfare Association for the Development of Afghanistan (WADAN)
Afghanistan
Working throughout all regions of Afghanistan, the Welfare Association for the Development of Afghanistan is an indigenous, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that envisions a peaceful, drug free, democratic, developed and prosperous Afghanistan. Their mission is to advance the spread of democratic principles, development, social justice, human rights and freedom in Afghanistan as well as to strengthen communities and local governance by promoting effective community and institutional development practices and drug control initiatives.
