The Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), and its Haiti-based affiliate, the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), have over 15 years of demonstrated success enforcing Haitians’ human rights, in Haiti and abroad. We work in four areas: 1) impact litigation forces open the doors of Haitian, international and U.S. courts for precedent-setting human rights cases; 2) documentation provides public officials, human rights advocates and grassroots activists the reliable information they need to speak up for human rights in Haiti; 3) transnational grassroots advocacy compels governments and powerful institutions in Haiti and abroad to respect Haitians’ human rights; and 4) systemic capacity building develops a corps of Haitian lawyers and advocates trained to fight for sustainable change in their country.
The organizations’ successes include spearheading the Raboteau Massacre trial, considered Haiti’s best complex litigation, and one of the most important human rights cases in the Americas, and Yvon Neptune v. Haiti, the only Haitian case ever decided by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The New York Times called the BAI’s Mario Joseph “Haiti’s most prominent human rights lawyer,” and attorney Joseph has won several human rights awards.
Shortly after the devastating January 12 earthquake struck Haiti, IJDH and the BAI established the Lawyers’ Earthquake Response Network (LERN), which coordinates the response of over 400 U.S. lawyers and law students to human rights challenges in Haiti. LERN employs a human rights-based approach to advocate for the victims of the earthquake and reduce Haiti’s vulnerability to future natural, political and economic stresses. Together, LERN, IJDH and the BAI, are developing replicable models for international legal responses to large-scale natural disasters.
Project Description
IJDH has two law-student internship positions open for the summer of 2011 in our Boston office. Interns will work on (1) LERN Projects responding to the needs of earthquake victims, including the Rape Accountability and Prevention Project (RAPP) and the Housing Rights Advocacy Project (HRAP); 2) the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Project seeking to increase transparency and accountability of the U.S. government with regards to its involvement in Haiti; (3) immigration advocacy through the Haiti Asylum Information Project (HAIP) as well as other projects; and (4) on-going efforts to respond to the cholera epidemic through the Health and Human Rights in Prisons Project (HHRPP). Interns must commit to spending eight weeks with IJDH. Given our small office and large volume of work, interns will be given a high degree of responsibility from the start. Accordingly, interns must be highly motivated and responsible. Those interested may also have the option of traveling to Haiti for fieldwork.
Intern Responsibilities
Interns will work closely with and be supervised by IJDH attorneys on the following:
• Conducting research on domestic and international law and best practices;
• Preparing advocacy reports incorporating legal research and factual findings;
• Supporting Haitian and international litigation through research, drafting and analysis of evidence;
• Supporting advocacy in the United Nations system, U.S. Congress and other international forums; and
• Participating in media work to advocate for human rights in Haiti, including drafting press releases, talking points and op-eds.
Qualifications
• A demonstrated commitment to human rights;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Proficiency in standard computer applications;
• High level of initiative and motivation;
• Ability to handle sensitive client relationships and protect the confidentiality of our work and our communications; and
• Proficiency in French and/or Haitian Creole a plus.
Funding
In the past, interns with IJDH have been able to obtain funding through their university or other grant programs. Although we are unable to offer stipends for interns, we are happy to support successful applicants’ fellowship applications.
How to Apply
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