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Human Rights Internships in Ghana
Ghana is one of the most stable and well-governed African nations. Life in its capital city, Accra, may be far removed from any North American or European city but, as a former British colony its legal system is based on English Common Law.
This means if you’re studying human rights or already practicing law in the US or Canada, the experience of volunteering in Ghana will be both interesting and invaluable for your career.
The experiences you will have while volunteering in Ghana will be a great addition to any resume. This applies whether you are a gap year student looking to study law at university or a law graduate looking to gain some unusual work experience. International experience is something that law firms will certainly be pleased to see when recruiting new junior partners.
Interning on a Human Rights Internship in Ghana
We offer an expanding range of law schemes in Ghana for interns interested in human rights and social issues in the developing world.
Even if your knowledge of practical law is limited, you'll be able to work as part of a team. You just need to be able to communicate well and work hard.
Internships at the Project Abroad Human Rights Office are based in Accra. The internship offers opportunities to do unique legal work and partake in a diverse cultural experience. You'll become involved in programs that include:
- Children's rights
- Women’s rights
- Disability rights
- Police accountability and reform
- Corruption
- Good Governance
- Social and cultural rights issues, such as harmful traditional practices like female genital mutilation.
The schemes are there to help ordinary Ghanaians understand their rights and what protection they are legally entitled to. Your role in this might involve various activities such as:
- Preparing media features
- Raising awareness in rural communities
- Providing free legal advice
- Shadowing other human rights institutions for collaboration projects
The Project Abroad Human Rights Office is working with the following projects, activities and tasks:
- Right to information
- Constitutionalism
- Sanitation and waste management monitoring
- Police accountability
- Police and civilian relations
- Juvenile reform issues
These internships are demanding and must be taken seriously; in working for the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office, you are representing a professional organization. You will sometimes have deadlines and may be asked to represent the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office at meetings, fact-finding missions, and other events.
Your precise role will be determined by your knowledge of law and level of interest in specific areas. Internships are ideal if you are a law student or a graduate seeking practical experience in human rights. However, the work is also suitable if you're volunteering pre-university or if you have a general interest in human rights.
An internship will typically involve several elements. You might sometimes attend court where you could monitor and report on proceedings. Or you might be producing information resources, such as research reports or questionnaires.
You'll also be encouraged to make good use of the local media by writing articles on social themes. At other times you might visit a rural community or undertake a fact-finding mission and document your results both in a photographic and written format. There is plenty for you to become involved with and you will definitely be kept busy!