PIHRL on Facebook!2006 Summer Interns
In 2006, six (6)) Indiana University Law Interns worked at various human rights and law organizations around the world. Their areas of work included: Children's Rights, Women's Rights, Refugee Rights, Civil Rights, Political Rights, Labor Rights, Contracts, Peacekeeping, Management, and Discrimination in Employment, Education, and Housing.
From left: Hadi Motiee, Tatiana Obando, Kevin Munoz, Simeon Sungi, Professor George Edwards (Program Director and Founder), Chenping Su, and Christin Cogley
List of 2006 Interns and Placement Locations:
- Christin Cogley - Legal Resources Centre (Accra, Ghana).
- Hadi Motiee - South Asian Human Rights Documentation Centre (New Delhi, India).
- Kevin Muņoz - Patronato Nacional de la infancia (P.A.N.I.) National Child Welfare Organization (San Jose, Costa Rica).
- Tatiana Obando - Legal Resources Centre (Accra, Ghana).
- Chenping Su - New York State Executive Department (Buffalo, New York).
- Simeon Sungi - United Nations Secretariat (New York, New York).
Ms. Christin Cogley interned at the Legal Resources Centre (LRC)
in Accra, Ghana. She worked on creating a manual for legal practicioners
to interpret the recently passed Human Trafficking Act and wrote
reports on meetings she attended on revising the district court
rules and the effectiveness of the National Development Planning
Commission. Ms. Cogley also assisted the LRC in their fundraising
efforts by lending her expertise in planning a fundraising event
and creating a promotional brochure.
Mr. Hadi Motiee interned at the South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre in New Delhi, India. His work duties included drafting articles for the organization's Human Rights Features journal, which was distributed at the first session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, and assisting in the compilation of an international law manual for Indian LLM students. Mr. Motiee also worked extensively on a refugee law appeal before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Mr. Kevin Muñoz (2L) worked as a legal intern with El Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI), in San Jose, Costa Rica, Central America. PANI promotes and protects the human rights of street children in Costa Rica. Mr. Muñoz drafted protective orders and other legal documents to ensure children received their legal right to medical attention and shelter. He also performed regular street visits with PANI social workers and psychologists. He conducted home visits and assisted with the humanitarian needs of street children. Furthermore, Mr. Muñoz regularly visited the homeless shelter for street children who were dependant on addictive substances and assisted with their human rights needs. He returned to the United States with a deeper appreciation for those in need and a richer understanding of the practice of international human rights law.
Ms. Obando worked at The Legal Resource Centre (LRC). The LRC works with Community Based Organization (CBO'S) that involve different issues in the communities, and other projects like the Parliamentary Advocacy Program (PAP), and a new one that is a contract the LRC has with the International Labor Organization (ILO). She was assigned to work with a CBO called The Gender Action Unit. This CBO deals with education issues for women. She worked in very poor communities where most of the population was Muslim. There were a big percentage of girls that were not going to schools just because they are women. Ms. Obando work consisted of education on this issue. If we do not let women have access to education, society will lose a base for its development, she says. Gender Action Unit with Ms. Obando organized a forum, invited women from the communities and explained to them the importance of education. Also, they were engaged in a campaign to engage the government in giving more access to education. One of the proposals was to extend the benefits from the public schools (called Capitation Grant) to the private schools that meet the requirement established by the government.
Ms. Chenping Su interned at the New York State Division of Human Rights - Buffalo Office, which enforces New York State Human Rights Law to prevent discrimination against people on the basis of race/color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, military status, prior conviction/arrest record, and retaliation in employment, housing, public accommodations and credit. Ms. Chenping Su was associated with the attorneys' project that was engaged in conducting research on New York State Human Rights case law, and assisted an administrative law judge with legal research. She also worked with Human Rights Specialists on daily intake interviews of individuals, took information calls, and prepared FIRBOD (Final Investigation Report and Basis of Decision).
Mr. Simeon Sungi worked at the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs
(OLA), General Legal Division (GLD). The GLD of OLA core functions
are (1) to prepare legal opinions, studies, and advice to the United
Nations Secretariat; (2) to provide legal advice to the United Nations
voluntary programmes and funds in connection with Peace Keeping
Operations; (3) to provide legal advice on procurement, drafting,
and negotiation of contracts and other commercial matters; (4) to
provide legal advice on the legislative and operational arrangements
governing staffing; (5) to represent the Secretary-General (SG)
before the United Nations Administrative Tribunal and other bodies
in commercial and other disputes; and (6) to prepare studies on
relevant articles of the United Nations Charter for the repertory
of practice of the U.N. organs. Mr. Sungi was exposed to almost
all of the above functions. Under guidance from his supervisor,
he prepared legal opinions regarding Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU's) on cooperation between different U.N. agencies, provided
legal advice on United Nations legislation, ran administrations
like the one in Kosovo, and drafted legal memorandums on international
law issues. He also provided legal advice on contracts and other
commercial matters. Mr. Sungi also participated in United Nations
meetings, including a meeting organized by the United Nations Office
of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked
Developing Countries and the Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).
The theme of the meeting was "Unleashing Entrepreneurship to
End Poverty in the Least Developed Countries (LDC's)."