Fellowships in International Human Rights

Fellowships in International Human Rights for recent graduates of law schools or graduate programs in journalism, international relations, area studies, or other relevant disciplines from universities worldwide.

Deadline: 08/10/2010
Open to: Graduates of Law, Journalism or International Relations
Salary: $55,000 + benefits

Human Rights Watch, the international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization, invites applications for its fellowship program.

Fellowships

Unrestricted Fellowships

  • Alan R. and Barbara D. Finberg Fellowship. This fellowship is open to recent graduates (at the Master’s level) in the fields of law, journalism, international relations, or other relevant studies. Graduates with LL.B. degrees or advanced degrees in other relevant disciplines may also be considered.

Restricted Fellowships

  • NYU School of Law Fellowship at HRW. This fellowship is open to 2011 J.D. graduates of New York University School of Law only.
  • Leonard H. Sandler Fellowship. This fellowship is open to J.D. graduates of Columbia Law School only.
  • Aryeh Neier Fellowship. This two-year fellowship is open to recent graduates of US law schools or applicants who will have graduated from a US law school by June 2011. Neier fellows spend one year at Human Rights Watch documenting a human rights problem inside the United States, and the second year at the American Civil Liberties Union, seeking reforms through advocacy and litigation.

Job Description

Fellows work full-time for one year with Human Rights Watch in New York, Washington, D.C., or London. (Aryeh Neier fellows work full-time in New York or Washington, DC, and, for an additional year at the ACLU.) Fellows monitor human rights developments in various countries, conduct on-site investigations, draft reports on human rights conditions, and engage in advocacy aimed at publicizing and curtailing human rights violations. Past fellows have conducted research and advocacy on numerous different issues in countries all over the world. A few recent examples are: a project on civil and political rights in Cuba; on criminal defamation laws in Indonesia; on the rights of persons with mental disabilities in Croatia; on corporal punishment of children in public schools in the US; on abuses against migrant domestic workers in Kuwait; and on police brutality in Brazil.

Eligibility

Applicants must have exceptional analytic skills, an ability to write and speak clearly, and a commitment to work in the human rights field in the future. Proficiency in one language in addition to English is strongly desired. Familiarity with countries or regions where serious human rights violations occur is also valued. Depending on the fellowship for which they wish to apply, prospective fellows must be recent graduates of law, journalism, international relations, or other relevant studies, or must provide evidence of significant, comparable, relevant work experience (please see our Frequently Asked Questions section for the specific requirements of the various fellowships.

Fellowships begin in September 2011.

Salary and benefits

The salary for 2010-2011 fellows will be $55,000, plus excellent employer-paid benefits. The salary for 2011-2012 is currently under review and may be increased.

Application

Complete your application before the deadline of 8 October, 2010

Application packets must include the following:
* cover letter
* resume
* two letters of recommendation
* at least one unedited, unpublished writing sample
* an official law or graduate school transcript (applicants in one-year graduate programs should supply an undergraduate transcript with a list of their graduate school courses and an official letter from the graduate program confirming enrollment)

Applications should be sent by e-mail, under single cover and as PDF files, to fellowship@hrw.org with the name of the fellowship in the subject line.

Applicants must be available for interviews in New York from early November to mid-December 2010.

Visit the official website for more information.

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