Human Rights Watch Fellowships -USA

Human Rights Watch, the international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization, invites applications for its fellowship program. Human Rights Watch is known for its impartial and reliable human rights reporting on over 70 countries worldwide, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in affecting the policy of the US and other influential governments toward human rights abusers.

Unrestricted Fellowship

Alan R. and Barbara D. Finberg Fellowship - Established in memory of Alan R. and Barbara D. Finberg, early supporters of Human Rights Watch, 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 - established in memory of Judge Leonard H. Sandler, a 1950 Columbia Law graduate with a lifelong commitment to civil rights and liberties, this fellowship is open to J.D. graduates of Columbia Law School only.

Aryeh Neier Fellowship - created to honor the legacy of Aryeh Neier, 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.

QUALIFICATIONS: 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

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 DEADLINE: OCTOBER 8

Applicants are responsible for compiling complete application packets which 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)

Complete applications (including transcripts and recommendations) for 2011-2012 fellowships must be received no later than October 8. 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.

Contact detail: fellowship@hrw.org

Moreinfo: http://www.hrw.org/about/fellowships