Have you always wanted to help in other countries? Your legal skills are needed in many places:
MONGOLIA: Democracy Building & Law
Mongolia is a young democracy that has emerged since the crumbling of the Soviet Union. This internationally acclaimed democracy building organization wants law students & legal experts that can:
- Monitor implementation of laws and contracts esp. access to information law and mining contracts because Mongolia is experiencing a mining bonanza
- Compare Mongolian laws with international standards; analyze & make recommendations
- Help in criminal justice; judicial reform; conflict of interests; anti-corruption; election monitoring or election finance
- Help with policy and research
” We need people that can help us learn how to shape questions and analyze data.”
AFRICA: Human Rights
For years, we have had requests for a human rights placement, and I’d say, “Do you mean the detention, the torture or the killing part?” In other words, where there are gross human rights violations, it is usually dangerous to speak up.
We are proud to finally have an excellent (and safe) human rights placement:
work on civic education, training people about their rights; electoral and democracy building – emphasizing term limits to thwart leaders from becoming despots and Presidents-for-Life; criminal justice work in the prisons or anti- corruption (which is a big deal throughout Africa). Or if you have the legal training and experience, help with legal cases with the poor.
NEPAL: Public Interest Law
After centuries of monarchy, rampant corruption and a Maoist rebellion, Nepal’s democracy was born in 2008. Come work with Nepali attorney and organization to help promote good governance, reduce archaic corrupt practices and represent the poor. Act as a watchdog in environmental conservation, consumer rights, women rights and child welfare. People with strong skills in legal research can help build the fascinating cases in public interest law.
KENYA: Constitutional Law, Peace, Human Rights & Democracy Building This organization was born after the election violence in 2007.
The director’s family farm was destroyed in western Kenya and he went to Italy to get a Master’s in Peace Building. He came back and gave peace building workshops all over the country. They now also do workshops on democracy building and civic education. Why is this so important? Most Kenyan human rights activists were jailed and tortured under Moi. When they got out, they worked to change Kenya’s constitution so such abuses could never happen again. In Kenya, as in many parts of Africa, the country melts down at election time. So peace building, human rights and democracy building are inextricably linked. Come help in their cutting edge work and teach Kenyans about how to forge a durable peace. Ideal for people with interest in constitutional law, human rights and/or dispute resolution.
CAMEROON: “Legal Literacy”
Throughout most of Africa, most citizens do not know their legal rights or how the legal system works. They do not know how to make a complaint or testify in court. Empower common citizens by teaching them labor, family and inheritance law and how the legal process works. Enact it with them. Throughout most of Africa, women are considered property of their husband. If husband dies, the wife is dispossessed of the land that feeds her and the children and is inherited by husband’s brother. Thus inheritance law is perhaps the most crucial legal and human rights issue. Come empower & teach.
CAMEROON: Domestic Violence
There is not a law presently on the books in Cameroon against Domestic Violence. Protection orders do not exist (nor are there enough police to enforce the orders). We have done extensive community workshops and awareness raising about DV in Cameroon. DV is a pervasive problem: 48 out of 50 men said they beat their wife. One of the next steps, (as was true in the West) is working with chiefs, judges, prosecuting attorneys and legislators to write and enforce a domestic violence law and to train how protection orders could help. Opportunities #5 & #6 can be done concurrently or separately. Both women and men needed.
NEPAL: Trafficking
~7,000 women and girls are trafficked from Nepal into India’s sex trade each year. Only 1/10th of Nepali woman who have been trafficked file a complaint against their traffickers. Come help this organization help women with their legal cases and teach survivors of trafficking how to train other women about their rights and legal recourse.
Interested?
Please read NGOabroad website
and send answered Questionnaire and resume to:
These are all volunteer opportunities. Law students, legal experts & attorneys are all needed. Applications accepted on a rolling basis.