Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Human Rights News & Events

WCL Events


1. THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC INTEREST AND THE OFFICE OF CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOMENT INVITE ALL STUDENTS TO JOIN US FOR PUBLIC INTEREST WEEK ACTIVITIES
Public Interest Careers Panel with WCL Alumni
Wednesday, November 7 at 12:00pm in Room 601
Hear from alumni experts in the field about the broad range of options for practicing law in the public interest. Alumni representatives will discuss careers in civil and criminal legal services, policy advocacy, government, public interest law firms and more. Pizza lunch will be provided.

Finding and Funding Summer Public Interest Work
Thursday, November 8 at 12:00pm in Room 524
A panel of students will discuss the dos and don’ts of finding meaningful work over the summer and getting paid to do it! A must-attend panel for any student seeking public interest work over the summer. Pizza lunch will be provided.

For more information contact Charlene Gomes, Public Interest Coordinator at cegomes@wcl.american.edu or stop by suite 122.

2. CUSTOMARY INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF THE 2005 ICRC STUDY,
Thursday, November 8, 2007, 2pm - 4:30pm, 4910 Massachusetts Ave., Suite 16, Conference Room 127
Join us for a panel discussion about customary international humanitarian law. Jean-Marie Henckaerts, co-author of Customary International Humanitarian Law published by the ICRC in 2005 will be the keynote speaker.  The panel also includes W. Hays Parks, Special Assistant to the Judge Advocate General of the Army, U.S. Department of Defense; Ashley Deeks, Visiting Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies and International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; and Dr. Gary Solis, Law of Armed Conflict Expert, Georgetown University Law Center. The discussion will access the recent ICRC study that codified customary international law. The 5,000-page study identifies 161 rules of customary international humanitarian law that include legal protection for persons affected by armed conflict.  Discussants will evaluate the acceptance of the study by the international legal community and how the compilation adds to the legal landscape.  For more information, please contact the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at 202-274-4180 or humlaw@wcl.american.edu or visit WCLCenterforHR.org. Light refreshments will be served!

3. THE WOMEN AND THE LAW PROGRAM PRESENTS: GONZALES V. CARHART AND THE DEGRADATION OF ABORTION PROVISIONS IN THE U.S., Thursday, November 8th, 4:00- 5:30, Washington College of Law, Room 600
Please join the Women and the Law Program for a guest lecture by renowned sociologist Carole Joffe of the University of California Davis.Professor Joffe, author of numerous books and articles about the relationship of medicine and law to women’s health and reproductive rights, will address how the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Gonzales v. Carhart affects the everyday realities of abortion provision for women and their doctors. Registration is Free and Required. For more information and to register, please contact the Office of Special Events & Continuing Legal Education at secle@wcl.american.edu or at (202) 274 4075. For more information visit www.wcl.american.edu/secle

4. SPECIAL EVENT!!! LAST SCREENING OF THE EIGHT ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS FILM SERIES
HUMAN RIGHTS IN A TIME OF WAR: AN EVENING WITH GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB PRODUCER LIZ GARBUS!
Thursday, November 8, 5:30 pm, American University Museum in the Katzen
Like to go to the movies? This Fall, the Center, in conjunction with the AU Center for Social Media, the Center for Global Peace, the Kay Spiritual Life Center, and School of International Service will sponsor the Eighth Human Rights Film Series. The film series explores ways in which film and media can be used to promote and protect human rights. The Eight Annual Human Rights Film Series will conclude with a screening of Ghosts of Abu Ghraib and a discussion with award-winning human rights film pioneer Liz Garbus as she shares her experiences and answers your questions about the making of this provocative film.  Ghosts of Abu Ghraib is a beyond-the-headlines look into the psychological and political contexts of the torture at Iraq’s infamous prison. An HBO Documentary, also featured at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.  There will be a one-time showing for this film.  This event takes place against the backdrop of Fernando Botero’s startlingly barbaric exhibit, Botero: Abu Ghraib, Katzen Arts Center: Light refreshments will be served. For more information contact the Center’s Program Coordinator, Amelia Parker, at humlaw@wcl.american.edu or for a complete list of films featured in this year’s film series please visit the Center’s website at www.wclcenterforhr.org.

5. HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES UNDER ATTACK! A LUNCH AND DISCUSSION WITH GUATEMALAN ACTIVIST RUTH DEL VALLE,
Friday, November 9th, 12pm - 1pm, 4910 Mass. Ave., Suite 16 (Lower Level), Conference Room 127
Join the Center for Human Rights this Friday, November 9, 2007 as we host a lunch and discussion with Guatemalan Human Rights Defender, Ruth Del Valle, cofounder of the Movimiento Nacional por los Derechos Humanos (National Movement for Human Rights – MNDH), a network for dozens of human rights institutions, and head of the Unidad de Protección a Defensores y Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos (Human Rights Defenders Protection Unit – UPDDH).  As an activist in Guatemala, Ruth has been targeted with acts of intimidation, including her office being raided and looted in February of this year.   Assaults against human rights defenders have increased in Guatemala by more than 370% in the last six years.  Ruth will be at the Center this Friday to discuss her experiences with interested students over lunch.  Her visit to the US is sponsored by the Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC), a DC-based nonprofit that has been working for the last twenty-five years to promote positive, systemic change in Guatemala. For additional information, please visit www.ghrc-usa.org. Please RSVP by emailing humlaw@wcl.american.edu. Sponsored by the WCL Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Student Advisory Board.

6. DC EMPLOYMENT JUSTICE CENTER VOLUNTEER TRAINING,
Monday, November 12, 6:00 - 8:00pm, Room 603
The EJC provides a weekly walk-in worker’s rights clinic. Volunteers conduct intakeinterviewers using a structured questionnaire to assess workplace problems of clients. Experienced employment lawyers are on hand to supervise the intake interviewersand help them advise the workers. Volunteers must attend an observational clinic, fill out a volunteer information sheet and participate in a volunteer training session.No experience is necessary. The EJC asks that only people interested in making a commitment to volunteer at a clinic at least once a month become volunteers. Please RSVP to Charlene Gomes, Public Interest Coordinator at cegomes@wcl.american.edu no later than Wednesday, November 7.

7. DISCUSSION ABOUT THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN BURMA WITH AUNG DIN, POLICY DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE U.S CAMPAIGN FOR BURMA, Tuesday, November 13, 12:00-1:20pm, WCL Room 528
APALSA welcomes you to attend a discussion with Aung Din on various human rights issues in Burma. Aung Din served over four years behind bars as a political prisoner in Burma after organizing and helping to lead the country’s nationwide pro-democracy uprising in 1988 as Vice Chairperson of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), the largest national student organization and outlawed by the regime. He is also country representative of the Thai-Burma border based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP). He has been quoted in hundreds of media articles, testified before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and traveled on speaking tours across the United States. Lunch will be served. For more information, visit http://www.uscampaignforburma.org or contact Miya at miya.chen@american.edu.

8. WAR CRIMES RESEARCH OFFICE PRESENTS: CRIMES OF WAR: WHAT THE PUBLIC SHOULD KNOW, Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 12:30pm, 6th Floor Student Lounge
In 1999, the first edition of Crimes of War, a collection of essays and photographs intended to promote understanding of international humanitarian law among journalists, policymakers, and the general public, was published. The years since have seen the rise of the International Criminal Court, the emergence of a global “war on terror” and escalating humanitarian conflicts in Darfur and other regions. Please join us in welcoming the following leaders and contributors from the Crimes of War Project at a launch event celebrating the revised second edition of the book:
Anthony Dworkin: Executive Director of the Crimes of War Project
Roy Gutman: Founder and Board Chairman of the Crimes of War Project
Diane Orentlicher: WCL Professor and Contributor
This event is co-sponsored by the Crimes of War Project and the War Crimes Research Office at Washington College of Law for more information email warcrimes@wcl.american.edu.

9. TORTURE AROUND THE WORLD: A PANEL DISCUSSION AND RECEPTION
Thursday, November 15, 6:00-7:30pm (followed by a reception), American University Museum in the Katzen
Join us for a panel discussion about the widespread persistence of torture around the world, despite the absolute prohibition of it in law. John Conroy, author of Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People will be the keynote speaker on a panel moderated by WCL Professor Rick Wilson. Other panelists include Elizabeth Abi Mershed, the Principal Human Rights Specialist for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and Jumana Musa, Amnesty International USA Advocacy Director for Human Rights and International Justice, who will discuss modern dimensions of torture, its methods and its perpetrators, and their implications for both domestic and international rule of law. The event will take place in the gallery at Katzen. The discussion takes place against the backdrop of the first US exhibition (hosted by the American University Museum in the Katzen) of the complete series of Fernando Botero’s “Abu Ghraib” paintings and drawings. The exhibit is a strongly personal statement documenting Fernando Botero’s reaction to news accounts of the events that took place at Abu Ghraib prison in 2003 and 2004. Registration is Free and Required. For more information or to register, please contact the Office of Special Events & Continuing Legal Education at 202.274.4075 or email secle@wcl.american.edu.

Community Events


1. TRAINING ON CONFLICT SENSITIVE PROGRAM DESIGN, Thursday and Friday, November 8-9, 2007, 9:00-5:00pm, Clark Conference Room - Clark Hall, American University (Main Campus)

This training course will provide an introduction to the basic concepts of conflict sensitive programming. The course will help one to understand the tools that are used as well as the terms of art for this field that are important to building credibility and viability for field approaches. Participants will use a current case study during the two days as a way to ground their reactions and experiences. The case study will be used to identify ways that certain sector approaches work to adjust program design to impact and interact with the conflict environment and the beneficiaries affected by the dynamics of the conflict. The course will also include a discussion focusing on the different approaches that are used to understand conflict dynamics and why these approaches vary so greatly across sectors and organizations.
Participants will:

  • Develop skills in designing and managing conflict-sensitive development programs
  • Learn about specific tools for expanding programs to address conflict-sensitive issues, and ways to make them effective
  • Increase their awareness and understanding of the necessity for conflict-sensitive programming
  • Have an opportunity to network with other like-minded NGOs grappling with similar issues

The student fee for the two day training session is $150 for students and $380 for professionals/practitioners. For more information contact humanitarian@american.edu or saji@american.edu.

2. AN AUTHORS’ BRIEFING WITH ADRIAN LEVY AND CATHERINE SCOTT-CLARK DISCUSSING DECEPTION: PAKISTAN, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE SECRET TRADE IN NUCLEAR WEAPONS, Friday, November 9, 2007, 10:30 - 12:00pm, Center for Strategic and International Studies, B1C Conference Room, 1800 K Street, NW
DECEPTION chronicles the last 30 years in the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan, and particularly the circumstances under which Pakistan both developed a nuclear weapon and then sold the technology for it to Iran, North Korea, Libya, and others—with the full knowledge of the U.S. government. It is a dramatic story of deception on all sides, not least by four successive U.S. presidents who have proclaimed Pakistan to the American people as our staunch ally, while it has, in fact, been just the opposite. Indeed, the authors—who have built this story over a decade of reporting—make a compelling case that Pakistan is the greatest obstacle to U.S. and world security. Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark are award-winning investigative journalists who worked for the Sunday Times of London for seven years before joining the Guardian as senior correspondents. They are the authors of two highly acclaimed books, The Amber Room and The Stone of Heaven. They have reported from South Asia for more than a decade, and now live in London and France. Their web site is www.clarkandlevy.com.The event is sponsored by the PCR Project and The Middle East Institute. Please RSVP to PCRProject@csis.org.

Announcements & Professional Development Opportunities

 

1. THE CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMANITARIAN LAW IS LOOKING FOR A DEAN'S FELLOW FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER 2007!! *****Applications due Monday, November 26, 2007, 5:00p.m.*****
The Center is looking for an enthusiastic student to take a high level of responsibility for the Center's exciting programming. The Dean's Fellow will provide support to our many fun events and interesting projects, assist with marketing Center events, and help create innovate new programming. This is a great opportunity to get involved in the Center's substantive programs. Attention to detail, organizational skills, familiarity with Microsoft Office programs, and proven interest in human rights issues are essential. Experience/skills in brochure/flyer design are a plus. A minimum commitment of 10 hour/week is required. To apply: send a cover letter, resume and short writing sample (max. 5 pages), to Amelia Parker at aparker@wcl.american.edu by Monday, November 26, 2007 at 5:00pm. Please indicate that you are applying for the Center's Dean's Fellow position in the subject line. PLEASE NOTE: Dean's Fellowship positions are open to full-time or part-time 2L, 3L, 4L and LLM Students - as well as part-time 1L students.

2. 2008 SUMMER INTERNSHIPS AT THE CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Domestic Legal Program (4 positions-NYC): During the past 20 years, CRR attorneys have been counsel in virtually every major U.S. Supreme Court case about reproductive rights. The Domestic Legal Program represents women, physicians and reproductive health care facilities throughout the country in litigation designed to preserve and improve access to a full range of reproductive health services, including abortion, contraception and reproductive technologies. Our active litigation docket includes challenges to restrictions on abortions and other reproductive health care services, discriminatory or restrictive abortion funding policies, violations of free speech rights of pro-choice persons and organizations, and prosecutions of women for drug use during pregnancy. In addition to litigation, the Domestic Legal Program uses a range of advocacy strategies, including legislative and human rights strategies,to strengthen protections for reproductive health. The Summer Intern program is ten weeks long. Applicants are encouraged to obtain funding from law schools or other sources; limited funding is available from the Center.
International Legal Program (4 positions-NYC): The International Legal Program collaborates with women’s rights organizations and advocates around the world to promote and defend internationally recognized reproductive rights through a range of legal strategies and global initiatives. Currently, our programs can be found in Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Africa. Our activities include: international litigation to enforce reproductive rights norms in national, regional and international fora; developing advocacy tools and training materials to build the capacity and support the work of reproductive rights lawyers worldwide; monitoring and documenting violations of reproductive rights; and analyzing legal and policy developments relating to reproductive rights. The Summer Intern program is ten weeks long. Applicants are encouraged to obtain funding from law schools or other sources; limited funding is available from the Center.

Qualifications & Responsibilities: Law students are expected to have strong legal research and writing skills and a demonstrated interest in gender/women’s issues and reproductive rights. 2L’s, 3L’s and LL.M. students with prior knowledge of human rights law are strongly encouraged to apply. Non-legal internships are available on a limited basis.
Deadline: February 7th, 2008. However, applications will be accepted until all positions are filled.
Please send a cover letter (stating your program of interest), resume, writing sample and contact information  or two references to:
Domestic Legal Program Intern Committee
Center for Reproductive Rights
120 Wall Street, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10005
Fax: 917-637-3666
E-mail: resumes@reprorights.org
(If you choose to e-mail your application, please include "Domestic Legal Program Intern" in the subject line)

3. SUMMER 2008 REFUGEE WOMENS RIGHTS LAW CLERK POSITIONS. Send in applications now! The Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS), one of the nations leading refugee advocacy organizations, is seeking full- time Judith Stronach Womens Rights Fellows for Summer 2008. The Center, which is based at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, works to advance womens human rights by focusing on gender-based asylum and broader migration and refugee policies, both in the U.S. and internationally. The law clerks will be involved in the full range of CGRSs work, including research and writing on key legal issues, appellate advocacy, the development of detailed country conditions information, the preparation of expert witness affidavits, and national policy work. Experience or background in immigration or asylum law is required. Experience with related areas, such as international human rights law should be mentioned. Spanish language desirable, but not required. Position runs from June 2 to August 8, 2008. Please indicate eligibility for work study, as well as your prospects for securing external funding. For more information on CGRS visit http://cgrs.uchastings.edu/.  All applications must be received by November 16, 2007.  Interested applicants should mail or fax a cover letter and resume to:
Diana Rodriguez
CGRS Summer Law Clerk Position
UC Hastings College of the Law
200 McAllister Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Fax: 415/581-8824
The cover letter should include how the applicants background is relevant to an organization committed to diversity in all respects. CGRS is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). All qualified persons including people of color, women, lesbians and gay men, are encouraged to apply.

4. OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE LEGAL INTERN POSITION. Send in applications now!
The OSI Washington office seeks to hire a Legal Intern to work on United States civil liberties issues and immigration policy. Specifically, the qualified applicant shall research and prepare reports on civil liberties and immigration policy issues with particular attention to human rights and national security. The Legal Intern will work under the supervision of the Senior Policy Analyst for Civil Liberties and Immigration Policy, and his or her duties will include: (1) Performing legal research (including LexisNexis and other research tools); (2) Drafting legal memoranda, background papers, and other advocacy materials; and (3) Attending hearings or meetings and drafting summaries and analysis. For additional information about OSI, please visit www.soros.org.  Apply Immediately.  Interested applicants should mail or fax a cover letter and resume to:
Lynthia Gibson-Price
Administrator
Open Society Institute- Washington Office
1120 19th Street, N.W., 8th Floor
Re: Human Resources
Fax to: (202) 530-0128; or e-mail: osidcresume@osi-dc.org .

5. SUMMER PUBLIC INTERNSHIP AT THE CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
The Ella Baker Summer Fellowship Program, is a project of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a non-profit legal and educational organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Students work with teams of lawyers on various legal issues, doing legal/factual research and writing on active CCR cases. They also work with the Education and Outreach Department on CCR’s various campaigns and produce documents for public distribution. To apply please send in the following: resume, list of three references, a brief legal writing sample and a cover letter that explains why you would like to work for social change in general and for CCR in particular, any experience you might have in community organizing or in movements for social change, and your interests and skills. 

        Timeline For 2L’s

  • November 23rd- All 2Ls should send an electronic version of application materials to ellabaker2008@ccr-ny.org by this date.
  • November 26th - December 14th- Interviews for 2Ls will be held.
  • December 21st- Final decisions for 2L candidates will be made by this date.

        Timeline For 1L’s

  • January 18th- All 1L applicants should send an electronic version of application materials to ellabaker2008@ccr-ny.org by this date.
  • January 28th - February 8th- Interviews for 1Ls will be held. Please note that the bulk    of available internships will be given to 2L students. We will conduct very limited interviews of 1L candidates.
  • February 15th- Final decisions for 1L applicants will be made by this date.

CCR annually offers two funded fellowships for law students under the Ella Baker Summer Internship Program but other funding may be available for law students who are unable to secure funding on their own. For more information about CCR, please see our website: http://www.ccrjustice.org. If you have any questions please contact An-Tuan Williams, Education and Outreach Assistant, at:
Center for Constitutional Rights
666 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 212-614-6466
Fax (212)614-6422
E-mail: AWilliams@ccr-ny.org

Top of Page

 

NOTE: If you would like to submit a human rights-related event or announcement to the Center’s listserv, please send an email to humlaw@wcl.american.edu.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Center’s listserv, please follow instructions at: http://roster.wcl.american.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?SUBED1=chrhlupdate&A=1.

The Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law compiles a newsletter at the start of each semester and distributes it to all students, faculty and staff as a resource for upcoming human rights events and opportunities at WCL. We hope you find it useful and look forward to seeing you at the many events that the Center and other offices and student groups have planned throughout the Fall. To access the Fall 2007 newsletter, please visit the following site: http://www.wcl.american.edu/humright/center/newsletter/fall07_newsletter.cfm

 

4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, DC 20016 | humlaw@wcl.american.edu | 202-274-4180
WCLCenterforHR.org