Upcoming Human Rights Events and Opportunities (Feb. 24, 2012)
LeitnerCenter LeitnerCenter
Leitner Center events:
Brown Bag Lunch Series: The Crowley Scholars Report Back - The Cambodia Fact-Finding Trip and the Crowley Experience
February 28, 2012 12:30 PM - 1:30 pm
Location: Room 302, Fordham Law School, 140 W. 62nd St. New York, NY 10023
Contact: Aya Fujimura-Fanselow | afujimur...@law.fordham.edu
Following a semester-long course of study focusing on international human rights law, as well as Cambodian culture, law, and history, eight Fordham Law School students traveled to Cambodia to conduct fieldwork on the intersection between mental health and human rights in Cambodia.
The presentation will summarize the trip and its findings, while also providing interested students with an overview of the Crowley experience and application process.
Free Kosher Pizza will be provided.
Attendance at this event counts towards the 5 required Leitner events to apply for summer funding.
Other Opportunities:
Upcoming Events
Internships
Fellowships
Positions (none)
Call for papers
Social Research: An International Quarterly launch: The Image
Tuesday, February 28
6:00–8:00 p.m.
Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor
Social Research: An International Quarterly launches its Winter issue, "The Image," with a colloquium produced in collaboration with Parsons School of Art and Design History and Theory. Experts discuss the functions of images in the arts, technology, and media and the ways in which images shape our understanding of technical innovations and social and political issues.
Panelists:
David Greenberg, Associate Professor, History, Journalism & Media Studies, Rutgers University
Michael Leja, Professor of Art History, University of Pennsylvania
Nicholas Mirzoeff, Professor of Media, Culture and Communication, New York University
McKenzie Wark, Associate Professor and Chair of Culture and Media, Eugene Lang College The New School
Moderator, Rosemary O'Neill, Associate Professor of Art History, Parsons School of Art and Design History and Theory
Respondent, Jeffrey Lieber, Assistant Professor of Visual Culture, Parsons School of Art and Design History and Theory
RSVP to c...@newschool.edu to reserve a seat. You can also register on site the day of the event, but seating is first come, first served.
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What: “Struggling to Survive: Sexual Violence and Exploitation of Women and Girls in Post-Disaster Haiti”
When: Thursday, March 1, 2012; 6:00-8:00 PM
Where: Vanderbilt Hall, Room 218 (40 Washington square south)
RSVP and valid ID required. Event will be preceded by a reception from 6:00-6:30. Please RSVP to Audrey Watne at wat...@exchange.law.nyu.edu
About the event:
On the occasion of the 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, please join partner organizations KOFAVIV, MADRE, and NYU School of Law’s Global Justice Clinic/Center for Human Rights and Global Justice for a panel discussion about the ongoing crisis of sexual violence and exploitation in post-earthquake Haiti. The event will feature grassroots advocates from Haiti and legal experts in the areas of human rights advocacy and gender-based violence, who will discuss two reports the organizations authored on sexual exploitation and gender-based violence in Haiti: “Yon Je Louvri: Reducing Vulnerability in Haiti’s IDP Camps” and “Struggling to Survive: Sexual Exploitation of Displaced Women and Girls in Port au Prince, Haiti.” The panel will further address the challenges that lie ahead in protecting women and girls from sexual violence and mitigating the disturbing practice of sexual exploitation..
Background:
Two years after the January 2010 earthquake, conditions of vulnerability have made young women and girls living in Haiti’s IDP camps particularly vulnerable to sexual violence and exploitation. While it has been challenging to assess prevalence rates, the GJC’s recent survey—results of which are discussed and analyzed in “Yon je Louvri”—reported that 14 percent of households surveyed in their study had at least one member of the household had been a victim of sexual violence since the earthquake. And while there are no reliable statistics on the prevalence of sexual exploitation in IDP camps, or post-earthquake Haiti more generally, sexual exploitation—as reported on in “Struggling to Survive”—has also been identified as an issue in nearly every humanitarian or human rights report on women’s rights since the earthquake.
The scenario is thus grim: not only are women and girls vulnerable to acts of outright sexual violence, but they also increasingly report having to resort to exchanging sexual acts in return for food and benefits, including coupons, access to direct aid distributions, cash for work programs, money, or even a single meal. Women and youth who engage in survival sex are especially at risk of involuntary or unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and other related health problems, as well as being more vulnerable to rape and other forms of sexual violence.
Featured panelists:
Eramithe Delva, Leader, KOFAVIV, Panelist
Malya Villard Appolon, Leader, KOFAVIV, Panelist
Jocie Philistin, Leader, KOFAVIV, Panelist
Meg Satterthwaite, Faculty Director, CHRGJ; Professor, Global Justice Clinic, Panelist
Cynthia Soohoo, Director, International Women’s Human Rights Clinic, Associate Professor, CUNY Law School, Moderator
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Open Society Foundation
Film Screening: “They Took My Choice Away”
Location: OSI-New York
Event Date: March 1, 2012
Event Time: 5:30 – 7:00 pm
The Open Society Foundations present the New York premiere of "They Took My Choice Away," a short film about forced sterilization in Namibia. The premiere event includes a discussion with filmmaker Bob Sacha.
For more information: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/events/took-my-choice-away-20120301?utm_source=Open+Society+Institute&utm_campaign=0aaadc7400-upcoming-events-20120220&utm_medium=email
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What: “The Wronging of Human Rights”: A Lecture by Shaheed Fatima
When: March 5, 2012, 6-8PM
Where: Greenberg Lounge, Vanderbilt Hall. 40 Washington Square south
RSVP and valid ID required. The event will be preceded by a reception from 6:00-6:30.
RSVP to wat...@exchange.law.nyu.edu
About the event:
One of Britain’s most prominent human rights lawyers, Shaheed Fatima, will discuss some of the key human rights issues that have arisen in the context of the United Kingdom’s counter-terrorism efforts in recent years. The lecture will ask whether the role of human rights has become unjustifiably exaggerated or whether it deservedly maintains its central status. It requires addressing questions such as: what is the proper balance between security and freedom? Is it a balance that judges can strike, by the application of law, or is it (or should it be) the province of executive decision-makers?
The discussion is co-sponsored by the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice and the Hauser Global Law School Program
About our speaker:
Shaheed Fatima, a barrister at the English Bar, was educated at the Universities of Glasgow, Oxford and Harvard, has appeared in some of the leading recent human rights cases -both before English and European courts - including those which have arisen out of the UK's involvement in Iraq and its post-9/11 counter-terrorism measures.
She was awarded the Liberty/Justice "Human Rights Lawyer of the Year" Award in 2007 and is on the Attorney General's "A" Panel of Counsel. She has a diverse practice, ranging from human rights law to commercial law to international law, in which she acts for claimants, defendant government departments, NGOs and states. She is the author of "Using International Law in Domestic Courts" (second ed forthcoming in 2012). She was a Lecturer at Harvard Law School in 2009 and will be teaching at NYU School of Law as a Global Professor of Law in autumn 2012.
The Lecture will be moderated by the co-chair of the CHRGJ, Professor Philip Alston.
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The Alien Tort Statute: Should Corporations Be Immune From Liability?
The Alien Tort Statute (“ATS”), enacted by Congress in 1789, authorizes tort actions in U.S. federal courts by aliens alleging conduct in violation of the law of nations. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing a Second Circuit decision, Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, holding that corporations are not subject to suit under the ATS. A panel of distinguished experts representing both sides of this question will discuss whether corporations should be exempt from liability under the ATS.
Title: The Alien Tort Statute: Should Corporations Be Immune from Liability?
Location: Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 42 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036, The Great Hall
Date and Time: Wednesday, March 7, 2012 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sponsoring Committees: International Human Rights Committee, Stephen L. Kass,
Chair; Council on International Affairs, Mark R. Shulman, Chair; Foreign & Comparative Law Committee, David M. Lindley, Chair
Moderator: Stephen L. Kass, Chair, International Human Rights Committee
Panelists:
Burt Neuborne, Professor of Law and Legal Director, Brennan Center for Justice, New York University School of Law
Gary Clyde Hufbauer, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute of International Economics, Washington, D.C.; Co-author, Awakening Monster: The Alien Tort Statute of 1789
John F. Sherman, III, General Counsel, Secretary, and Senior Advisor, Shift; Senior Fellow, Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative at Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
All members of the Bar and the public are welcome to attend without charge. Advance registration is suggested, but not required, at http://www.abcny.org/
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The Humanitarian Rights & Humanitarian Law Course is a graduate-level program held in cooperation by the Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation (CIHC) and Fordham University. This course offers participants the opportunity discuss and understand the complex legal frameworks within the humanitarian sector; ways in which the law can enhance the provision of humanitarian assistance; and an understanding of how the fields of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law can be applied to their daily work.
This is a multi-disciplinary training program for students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. All participants are required to have a university degree. Preference will be given to students with humanitarian field experience, emergency or development.
This course will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from March 25 - 31, 2012. The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at Fordham University grants 2 graduate level academic credits for the successful completion of this course.
For more information about the course, including tuition rates and scholarship opportunities, please visit: www.cihc.org/human_rights_and_humanitarian_law_course.
Interested applicants should apply online at: www.cihc.org/applications. Contact: Laura Risimini, International Programs Coordinator, risi...@fordham.edu.
Internships
SUMMER 2012 INTERNSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
Congressional-Executive Commission on China
Deadline: March 1, 2012
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (www.cecc.gov) is offering paid internships to qualified undergraduates, graduate students, or recent graduates this coming summer in Washington, D.C. Interns must be U.S. citizens. The application deadline is March 1, 2012 for the Summer 2012 internship that runs from June to August 2012. Summer internships are full-time; interns are expected to work from 32 to 40 hours per week. See application instructions below.
CECC internships provide significant educational and professional experience for undergraduates, graduate students, or recent graduates with a background in Chinese politics, law, and society, and strong Chinese language skills.
Interns work closely with the Commission and its staff on the full array of issues concerning human rights, the rule of law, and governance in China (including criminal justice, democratic governance institutions, environmental problems, religious freedom, freedom of expression, ethnic minority rights, women's rights, etc.).
Interns perform important research support tasks (often in Chinese), attend seminars, meet Members of Congress and experts from the United States and abroad, and draft Commission analyses. Click here for CECC analysis of recent developments in the rule of law and human rights in China. Interns may also be trained to work with the Commission's Political Prisoner Database, which has been accessible by the public since its launch in November 2004 (click here to begin a search).
The CECC staff is committed to interns’ professional development, and holds regular roundtables for interns on important China-related issues.
Summer 2012 interns will be paid $10/hour. Those unable to apply for Summer 2012 internships may apply for the Spring (February-May) or Fall (September-December). Further details are available on the Commission's Web site at http://www.cecc.gov/pages/general/employ.php.
Qualifications:
- Interns must be U.S. citizens.
- Interns should have completed at least some China-related coursework. It is also desirable that they have some background in one or more of the specific human rights and rule of law issues in the CECC legislative mandate.
- Interns should be able to read Chinese well enough to assist with research in newspapers, journals, and on Web sites. More advanced Chinese language capability would be a plus. The successful candidate for an internship often will have lived or studied in mainland China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan.
- Although our interns are generally undergraduates, graduate students, or recent graduates, others are also welcome to apply.
Application Instructions for Summer 2012:
Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for two references, to the CECC via e-mail to Judy Wright, Director of Administration at judy....@mail.house.gov by March 1, 2012. Applications must be received by our office no later than 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time on March 1. Please discuss in your cover letter how your professional goals, interests, and background relate to the Commission's legislative mandate regarding human rights and the rule of law in China. No phone calls please.
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Catholic Justice and Peace Commission
Cape Palmas Diocese
Accepting Interns for Summer 2012
The Catholic Justice and Peace Commission is accepting applications for its internship in the summer of 2012. Applicants must be law students or graduate students with experience in gender-based violence, governance, social work, alternative dispute resolution, management, or other related fields. Recent interns have come from the United States and Great Britain. The internship is unfunded, so interns are responsible for funding travel and other costs themselves.
Interested applicants may apply by submitting a resume and cover letter to jpccapepalmas [at] yahoo [dot] com, jeffreylarkinaustin [at] yahoo [dot] com, and pfchap [at] gmail [dot] com.
For more information, please visit: http://jpccapepalmas.com
Fellowships
British Red Cross Research Fellow
Reference No.: UKO46734
Interest Area: UK Office (London)
Location: Flexible
Division: International
Position Type: Fixed Term Contract
Specialism: International Law
Closing date for applications: 27 February 2012
Location: Cambridge
Salary: Between £25,000 - £27,000 per annum
Contract: Fixed Term Contract until 31st December 2013
Hours: Full Time (35hrs per wk)
Closing Date: Midnight 27 February 2012
Overview
The British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies.
This British Red Cross (BRC) is a part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement). As such, we work to disseminate knowledge of and to encourage respect for international humanitarian law. We co-operate closely with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in these areas.
In January 1995, the Intergovernmental Group of Experts for the Protection of War Victims met in Geneva and adopted a series of recommendations aimed at enhancing respect for international humanitarian law, in particular by means of preventive measures that would ensure better knowledge and more effective implementation of the law.
Recommendation II of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts proposed that:
The ICRC be invited to prepare, with the assistance of experts in IHL [international humanitarian law] representing various geographical regions and different legal systems, and in consultation with experts from governments and international organisations, a report on customary rules of IHL applicable in international and non-international armed conflicts, and to circulate the report to States and competent international bodies.
In December 1995, the 26th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent endorsed this recommendation and officially mandated the ICRC to prepare a report on customary rules of international humanitarian law applicable in international and non-international armed conflicts. The outcome of the research carried out pursuant to this mandate was published in 2005 and consists of two volumes. Volume I contains a list of 161 rules deemed to be part of customary law, and commentary thereto, while Volume II contains the supporting material.
Since 2005, Volume I has been translated into Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, Russian, Serbian, Spanish and Turkish. Translations of Volume I into Japanese and Portuguese are expected to be published soon. Although there are no current plans to update Volume I, work has been continuing since 2007 to update Volume II. This work is being conducted through a joint project of the ICRC and BRC, based at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge.
The purpose of updating Volume II is for government and military lawyers, legal practitioners, judges, legal personnel of international organisations and non-governmental organisations, legal officers of the Movement and academics to have easy access to accurate, extensive and geographically diverse information on practice in the field of international humanitarian law. It will also facilitate a possible future update of Volume I.
Since August 2010, both Volume I and Volume II have been freely available online through the ICRC’s Customary IHL Database.
Scope
The post holder will be part of a three-person research team based at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at the University of Cambridge. The work is co-ordinated and overseen on a day-to-day basis by a team leader. The researchers are employed by the BRC and for these purposes, report to the Head of International Law of the BRC.
The substantive work of the researchers is carried out under the direct supervision of the head of project, i.e. the ICRC legal adviser in charge of the project on customary international humanitarian law. The head of project will be in regular communication with the team from Geneva via telephone and email and, from time to time, will travel to Cambridge to meet with the team and evaluate progress.
Overall Purpose of the Post
To up-date the collection of practice supporting the ICRC Study on Customary International Humanitarian Law.
For more information, please visit: http://gs11.globalsuccessor.com/fe/tpl_redcross01.asp?s=PyAxDIfSqHTyVvHqn&jobid=37566,5612761533&key=38204226&c=623348628736&pagestamp=sekhxpmdojbwbtyjgq
Positions
Call for Papers
Texas Tech University Center for Biodefense, Law &Public Policy along with the Journal of Biosecurity, Biosafety, and Biodefense Law Announce the First Annual Writing Competition.
Topic: A current event within the biodefense community and its potential impact on the laws and regulations governing biodefense.
Prizes: First Place: $700 award, the winning article will be published in the Journal of Biosecurity, Biosafety, and Biodefense Law, as well as the option to present at the Biodefense Center Symposium. Second Place: $200 award. Third Place: $100 award. Additionally, all submissions have the potential of being read and judged by leading authorities in the Biodefense field.
Deadline: April 1, 2012. Winners will be announced May 2012
For additional information see attachments, visit our website at www.ttu.edu/biodefense/<http://www.ttu.edu/biodefense/>, or email us at biodefe...@ttu.edu<mailto:biodefe...@ttu.edu>