Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

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

 

WCL Events


1. CANCELLED - CHANGES ON THE HIGH COURT IN THE US AND ISRAEL: THE IMPACT OF PERSONS AND PERSONALITIES
Wednesday, March 19, 5-7:30pm, Room 603

2. HUMAN RIGHTS HAPPY HOUR
Wednesday, March 19, 5-6pm, 6th Floor Student Lounge
Join WCL students, faculty, and friends for human rights, coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and empanadas. We will be collecting donations at this week's happy hour. You can make a big difference for local people who have been displaced and lost everything in a fire by donating clothes, toiletries, or food. For more information contact the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian law at Humlaw@wcl.american.edu.

3. LUNCH DISCUSSION ON EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION AND CIVIL RIGHTS
Thursday, March 20, 12:15, WCL Room 415
Please join a roundtable lunch discussion with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Regional Attorney, Bill Tamayo. Prior to being appointed to the EEOC, Mr. Tamayo was a managing attorney for the Asian Law Caucus. Inc. where he emphasized the practice of immigration and nationality law and civil rights litigation and advocacy involving employment discrimination, affirmative action, immigrant rights, women's rights, voting rights, and the Census. Mr. Tamayo will discuss the role and practice of public interest lawyers in community organizations and government institutions. This lunch is sponsored by the Clinical Department and the Office of Public Interest. This lunch is sponsored by the Clinical Department and the Office of Public Interest. Space is limited so please RSVP through the “Events” section of CareerLink. For more information contact Charlene Gomes, the Public Interest Coordinator, at cegomes@wcl.american.edu.

4. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC RIGHTS: THE SOUTH AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
Monday, March 24, 5:00-6:30pm, 6th Floor
Dean Claudio Grossman and American University Washington College of Law cordially invite you to the lecture Social and Economic Rights: The South African Experience. Speakers include Richard J. Goldstone - Former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and the former Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Commentators include Professor Herman Schwartz from Washington College of Law and Gay McDougall who is a United Nations Independent Expert on Minority Issues and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Washington College of Law. To RSVP contact the Office of Special Events and Continuing Legal Education at secle@wcl.american.edu or by calling 202-274-4075.

5. COLOMBIA: THE HUMAN IMPACT OF TRADE, WAR, AND THE RULE OF LAW
Thursday, March 27, Room 603, 9am - 5pm, JD & LLM Lounges, and Faculty Dining Room
Students, practitioners, and members of the wider community are encouraged to learn about some of the complex and often contentious issues confronting Colombia, providing a lens through which to analyze trade, war, and the rule of law in other contexts. The event will include a live video feed of speakers from the Universidad de los Andes Law School - Bogota, Colombia. The event will be moderated by Professors Henrik Lopez Sterup, PhD and Pablo Rey Vallejo, PhD and is partnered with the Immigrants’ Rights Coalition: Refugee and Asylum Committee, International Trade Law Society, Latino/a Law Students’ Association, Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Business Law Society, Program on Law and Government. To Register visit http://www.wcl.american.edu/secle/registration or for more information contact Sara Ramey at sara.ramey@american.edu.

6. INTERNATIONAL AND US PERSPECTIVES ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW UN DISABILITY RIGHTS CONVENTION
Monday, March 31, 2008, 12pm - 5:30pm, Room 603
Join us for a panel discussion and strategy session to build support for United States ratification of the new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). CRPD is expected to come into force as binding international law on March 31, 2008. To celebrate and think about ways to ensure rapid implementation, please join us for a discussion with experts from around the world. Lunch will be provided and the event will be followed by a reception.  To register or for additional information, please contact the Office of Special Events & Continuing Legal Education by email at secle@wcl.american.edu or by calling (202) 274-4075 or register online at www.wcl.american.edu/secle/registration.cfm. To view a live webcast of the event visit www.wclcenterforhr.org.  

Community Events

 

1. AUTHORS SERIES EVENT - ARVIND PANAGARIYA, INDIA: THE EMERGING GIANT
Wednesday, March 19th, 6:30 - 8:00pm, Conference Room B1, 1800 K Street NW, Washington DC 20006
India is not only the world's largest and fiercely independent democracy, but also an emerging economic giant. But to date there has been no comprehensive account of India's remarkable growth or the role policy has played in fueling this expansion. India: The Emerging Giant fills this gap, shedding light on one of the most successful experiments in economic development in modern history. A light reception and book signing following the discussion. Please Contact the Council for More Information at (202) 293-1051 or email event@worldaffairsdc.org.

2. DOCUMENTARY SCREENING: VOICES FROM THE ISLAND OF FREEDOM
Thursday, March 20, 6:00 pm-7:30 pm, McDowell Formal Lounge, American University Main Campus
Join the School of International Service, the International Affairs Committee and Center for a Free Cuba for a documentary on political repression in Cuba. The film is produced by People in Need, a Czech Republic Organization. The screening will be followed by discussion with representatives from the U.S. Department of State and the Embassy of the Czech Republic. For more information, please contact William Meeker at 858-692-2116 or sisgsciac@gmail.com.

3. WORKING IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: CHALLENGING POVERTY THROUGH LAW, Friday-Saturday, 4-5 April 2008, University of Georgia School of Law
SAVE THE DATE! The University of Georgia School of Law cordially invites you to attend the Third Annual "Working in the Public Interest: Challenging Poverty Through Law" conference on April 4-5, 2008. This two day event features panels and roundtable discussions with speakers drawn from all parts of the country. The conference will be held in Athens, Georgia, at the University of Georgia School of Law, which is approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta. We will be offering CLE credits for a small registration fee. We can also arrange free housing for student attendees who would like to stay with other students here in Athens. Registration and other information will soon be available online at www.law.uga.edu/wipi. If you have questions or concerns, please email us at: wipi.publicity.2008@gmail.com.

Announcements & Professional Development Opportunities

 

1. OFFICE OF PUBLIC INTEREST SEEKS SUMMER DEAN’S FELLOW
The Office of Public Interest is seeking a Summer Dean’s Fellow to work 20 hours/week on a number of projects including: outreach to public interest employers and WCL alumni, writing the Public Interest Wire newsletter, development of pro bono initiatives and the Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Program (PILRAP). Some additional research and writing may be required. This is a great opportunity for a student taking summer classes. Sense of humor, excellent writing, computer and interpersonal skills are required, a passion for social justice issues is a plus. Interested candidates should submit a current resume and brief cover letter to Charlene Gomes, Public Interest Coordinator at cegomes@wcl.american.edu. Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

2. CALL FOR PAPERS: GLOBAL WOMEN’S MOVEMENTS IN CHANGING SOCIETIES
Women for Women International, a non-profit humanitarian organization, seeks submissions for the Fall 2008 issue of its bi-annual academic journal, Critical Half. This issue will focus on global women’s movements and women’s movements globally in various contexts, including politics, women’s rights, social change, religion, and economic endeavors. Women’s movements may be global in their organization or effects, as in the international feminist movement, or they may be global in their concerns but local or ‘grassroots’ in their organization and immediate impact. Papers might consider the genesis and logistics of women’s movements; the underlying ideological concerns which give rise to and sustain, or counteract, these movements; or the interaction of women’s movements with local, regional, and global organizations, such as religious groups, political parties, or local or international local women’s groups.Papers which address issues of women’s movements in conflict and post-conflict societies, developing countries, and trans-national contexts are particularly encouraged. Articles should be 2,000-2,500 words long. The deadline to submit the article is June 16th. For further information, including topic suggestions, article possibilities, and submission guidelines, please visit http://www.womenforwomen.org/cfpapers.htm or for more information email criticalhalf@womenforwomen.org.

3. AYUDA, INC.’S PROJECT’S SEEKS LEGAL INTERN FOR SUMMER 2008
Ayuda, Inc. seeks a Spanish-speaking law student or summer 2008 to work with the Children’s Project in providing immigration services to unaccompanied immigrant children. Preferably this is a full time position, but part time applicants will be considered. The internship is unpaid, although Ayuda would happily support any efforts to secure outside funding. The Children’s Project represents both detained and non-detained unaccompanied immigrant children before the Immigration Service, the Immigration Courts and the Maryland Courts. Whenever possible, the Project assists children to obtain lawful immigration status in the United States by applying for asylum or for “green cards” or visas through special laws that protect victims of domestic violence, victims of child abuse, abandonment and neglect, victims of trafficking, and victims of serious crimes in the U.S. In addition to direct legal services, the Children’s Project attorneys regularly conduct trainings and outreach, and engage in national policy initiatives.  Specifically, the law student would work with two Children’s Project attorneys on preparing a wide variety of immigration law cases for children, and would assist with screening interviews of potential clients, both in the office and at area detention centers. If interested, there may also be opportunities to give outreach presentations. Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Christina Wilkes, Esq. at Christina@ayuda.com.

4. IRAQI REFUGEE SOLIDARITY INITIATIVE
Global Youth Connect is currently seeking applications from American youth activists (ages 18-30) who are interested in participating in an Iraqi Refugee Solidarity Initiative. Ten U.S. participants will be selected to join in the program activities described below and will work together with Iraqi and Jordanian youth over a period of six months to help address the Iraqi refugee crisis in Jordan. We greatly appreciate your help in getting the word out to people who might be interested in this unique opportunity. Detailed program and application information can be found on our website: www.globalyouthconnect.org/participate. For more information please contact mcmays@gmail.com. The application deadline is March 21, 2008.

5. ABA JOHN J. CURTIN, JR. JUSTICE FUND 2008 SUMMER LEGAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
The Curtin Justice Fund Legal Internship Program is seeking motivated law student interns to apply for stipends available for the Summer 2008 Program. The applicants should have a position offered, contingent on funding, from a qualified organization. The program will pay $2,500 stipend to 3 law students who spend the summer months working for a bar association or legal services program designed to prevent homelessness or assist homeless or indigent clients or their advocates. All law students are eligible. Applications must be postmarked by March 24, 2008. Applications requirements and additional information available at: http://www.abanet.org/homeless/curtin_application.html. Please contact the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty at (202) 662-1694 or via email at homeless@abanet.org with any questions.

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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.

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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 Spring 2008 newsletter, please visit the following site: http://www.wcl.american.edu/humright/center/newsletter/spring08_newsletter.cfm

 

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