Canadian Bar Association - International Internships 2010-2013

Results achieved as of June 2013 include: (i) 54 interns from ten provinces and territories participated in the Young Lawyers Internships Programs thereby gaining seven months of practical experience in international human rights law; (ii) interns conducted substantial research on important constitutional human rights and other key legal issues; (iii) 24 interns created blogs of their experiences over the three years to share their learning; (iv) 54 summary reports detailing placement experiences were shared; (v) 30 interns helped to improve programs and service delivery by contributing to management and administrative processes in their placement organizations; (vi) seven interns conducted training activities and information sessions based on their field experiences; and (vii) 17 interns made presentations through various media magazines newsletters and special events. Some project highlights included: in South Africa interns issued a 57-page Refugee Survival Guide on Human Rights translated into French; in Kenya interns prepared a report on gender based violence training for the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and an analysis of the new Marriage Bill; and in Namibia and Tanzania interns undertook gender activities that facilitated and increased the equal participation of women lawyers including for example conducting pro bono legal aid clinics on women’ issues. These results contributed to increasing awareness on access to justice and human rights advocacy work and expanding Canada’s pool of practice-based knowledge lessons learned and best practices on governance and development.