Human Rights Office, What We Do

Projects Abroad Human Rights Office encourages the interns to choose an area of interest that is compatible with their passions and career aspirations.

The current areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Children’s rights
  • Women’s rights
  • Immigration law and policy: refugee & asylum seekers’ rights
  • Prisoners’ rights
  • HIV/ AIDS law
  • Unemployed and disabled persons’ rights
  • Sexual orientation: homosexuals’ rights
  • Labour law: workers’ rights
  • Transitional justice & restorative justice
  • Social and economic justice
  • African customary/ traditional law
  • Sentencing and punishment
  • Human rights education

Interns are encouraged to suggest additional areas of personal interest.

Interns utilise various methodologies throughout their placement such as:

  • Academic research and reporting (with publication in mind)
  • Interviewing victims/ perpetrators of Human Rights abuse
  • Resolution of human rights disputes through mediation
  • Out-of-office fieldwork, including missions to:

    • Courts of law – for research or monitoring purposes
    • Police stations
    • Refugee camps/ shelters
    • Prisons
    • Abused women and children shelters
    • Places of safety for children/li>
    • Government offices/ departments
    • Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
    • Libraries and resource centres;

  • Community work
  • Community presentations
  • Conferences/ workshops/ public debate attendance
  • Participation in the parliamentary process.

Again, interns are encouraged to initiate new methods appropriate to their internship and area of interest.