The corona virus reportedly arrived on Australian shores on the 25^th of January of this year. At that stage, the virus seemed like a world away from South Africa. Things went on as usual for some time in South Africa, for it would only experience its first case in early March. But by 25 March, President Cyril Ramaphosa adopted some of the strictest lock down measures in the world, saying that the COVID-19 pandemic is “extremely dangerous for a population like ours, with a large number of people with suppressed immunity because of HIV and TB, and high levels of poverty and malnutrition.”

Like it has elsewhere, the pandemic virtually defines daily life in South Africa. From a human rights law perspective, it has both created new sets of problems, and exacerbated pre-existing ones. For instance, police brutality in enforcing government regulations has emerged as a pressing concern, while the already dire issues of poverty and hunger have escalated.

The work of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) has been uncurbed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its catalogue of human rights litigation matters in Southern Africa—involving such matters as freedom of expression and assembly, environmental rights, women’s rights, land rights, freedom from discrimination and cruel and inhuman treatment and torture—have become no less urgent. Also, SALC has been proactive in its COVID-19 efforts, releasing policy papers and infographics, issuing statements in support of embattled communities, and monitoring the human rights situations across the region.

During my time in South Africa, I saw, first-hand, the importance of the human rights project. As Nelson Mandela said, “to deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity”. That is as true now as it was when Madiba pronounced it in 1990.

I am very grateful to the Castan Centre and SALC for this quite unique opportunity. The staff at SALC made me feel welcome, assigning young lawyers and law students both interesting and challenging legal work to complete. In the latter part of my time in South Africa, I assisted with court submissions on a land rights matter in Zambia, protest rights in Malawi, environmental rights in Zimbabwe, and civil rights in Swaziland, as well as drafting research papers, legal memorandums, and information guides on a wide variety of human rights issues. There was always a plethora of work to do, and given its rather small staff numbers, SALC positions itself as a prominent and indispensable human rights organisation in the region.

In total, I was in lock down for the final five weeks of my time in South Africa, while SALC’s office had been closed for seven. Having the ability to help with, and contribute to all sorts of human rights work proved an optimal way to spend one’s time in isolation. I left South Africa a month ago, now. My in-country experience infinitely bolstered my knowledge of Africa and South Africa, the law and legal work, and human rights. During this unprecedented time of uncertainty and danger, my thoughts are with the South African people and its neighbours.

Loujain al-Hathloul is a women’s human rights defender who has been instrumental in the movement to allow women to drive and to end male guardianship laws in Saudi Arabia. At the 69^th CEDAW Session, in February 2018, Loujain briefed the CEDAW Committee on the women’s rights situation in Saudi Arabia. Not two months later, Loujain was abducted in the United Arab Emirates, brought to Saudi Arabia against her will, and arbitrarily detained. The charges were based, in part, on Loujain’s engagement with the CEDAW Committee. She is still imprisoned today. 

I learnt about Loujain’s story on the final day of the 75^th CEDAW Session which I had the privilege of attending in February 2020. My sense of privilege was further intensified when I realised that for several women’s human rights defenders – many of whom I had befriended and supported during this CEDAW session – the choice to defend women’s rights comes at a high price, including their own safety, and yet, despite (or perhaps in spite) of this, they continue to fight the good fight. 

The 75^th CEDAW Session was fascinating, if not slightly disheartening. It was the first time I had seen an international treaty body conduct a review. I was able to witness firsthand the women’s rights issues that the CEDAW Committee deemed a priority to address for each country; I was also able to witness firsthand the disregard of the Convention by (some) state delegations, which, combined with a lack of capacity, proved to be a lethal mix when it comes to the protection of women’s rights.

The highlight of my time in Geneva was undoubtedly following and supporting the advocacy process for the women human rights defenders who participated in the Global to Local Program run by IWRAW AP. It was an emotionally charged two weeks; their highs were my highs and their lows were my lows. Each week, I witnessed and supported a batch of activists’ three-day training with IWRAW AP; silently cheered them on as they provided public oral statements regarding the women’s rights situation in their countries; supported them so that they could privately brief Committee members on any further issues or uncertainties about their countries’ compliance with CEDAW; and watched the Committee raise their concerns at the constructive dialogue with the state delegation. Whilst in many cases their concerns were inadequately addressed by the state delegation (including tactics such as providing false information or ignoring the question altogether), in some cases, there was a commitment made by the State. Indeed, this commitment could have been insincere, however it is still a useful tool for future advocacy. 

The Concluding Observations for the session were released a few weeks ago. Within them, one can find recommendations for many of the issues these women human rights defenders fought for. Whilst they are just that – recommendations – they do act as a further instrument for women human rights defenders to hold States accountable. 

I sincerely hope good use comes from these Concluding Observations and that national governments have the will and capacity to make real and substantive changes for women’s rights in their countries. But even if they fail to do so, I will always be honoured to have played a small part in allowing these inspiring activists to advocate and be heard at the international level. If IWRAW AP’s Global to Local program is important for anything – it is this.

For information regarding the issues raised by these activists and the CEDAW Committee, as well as responses from state delegations, you can refer to the (extensive) tweeting conducted by myself and my fellow IWRAW colleagues which serve as an (unofficial) record of #CEDAW75 (note: it has taken me several weeks to stop thinking (and typing) in twitter shorthand!): 

In the first session of the Global to Local training, we were tasked with naming our ‘sheroes’: feminist activists who inspire us. Well, after this experience I have a heck of a lot more women that have been added to my list, and at the very top stars the IWRAW AP team. As I sit in my COVID-19-induced isolation, staring (somewhat longingly) at the IWRAW stickers affixed to my laptop which call for me to ‘Protest Against Patriarchy’ and ‘Dissent Against Discrimination’ I realise that the international legal framework for women’s rights – in all of its UN and CEDAW glory – is nothing without the women who spend their days defending it.

PHOTOS:

11 February, 2020, marked the 30^th anniversary of the historic day on which South African freedom fighter and future statesman Nelson Mandela was finally released from prison, following 27 gruelling years incarcerated by the racist, morally-bankrupt Apartheid regime. That image of Mandela, hands raised, a smile beaming on his face, will forever remain in South African, and global, memory. It signified a new dawn, the possibility that Madiba’s nation did not have to be plagued by the evils of segregation, kidnappings, assassinations, economic injustice, land misappropriation, and white supremacy. 

Roughly four years later, after much negotiation and the looming spectre of conflict, South Africa resoundingly rejected the Nationalist Party’s disgraceful legacy, voting in the African National Congress throughout the Republic. Mandela took the mantle of President, ushering in the modern democratic epoch. Despite the serious improvement in the political, social, and economic life of South Africa since the abolishment of Apartheid, problems and injustices that system created still exist. In other words, there is still much to be done in the field of human rights in the “Rainbow nation”. 

Since early January of this year, I have interned at the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), a non-for-profit legal organisation that operates out of Johannesburg, South Africa. Its work isn’t confined to human rights issues in South Africa, but reaches across countries like Botswana, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. 

The actual cases SALC takes on are similarly broad and diverse. So far, I have had the fortune to work on matters relating to HIV discrimination, the right to a fair trial, the right to freedom of assembly, land rights, and other important cases across the region. This work—including the drafting of case summaries, legal opinions and memoranda, editing advocacy publications, organising evidentiary material, or discussing judicial applications—has been guided by the highly talented and competent lawyers at SALC, as well as the in-country lawyers who SALC may support in fighting to protect human rights in Southern Africa. 

I have also been able to participate in meetings and conferences with African civil society, regarding the challenges and the opportunities for human rights advancement on the continent. These have encompassed substantive discussions on specific human rights matters—such as the right to freedom of assembly—as well as much consideration of the tools that can be used to further human rights. 

It has been insightful to be exposed to the way in which human rights litigators discuss material considerations of a case, make strategic plans, work cooperatively, and craft sophisticated legal arguments to advance their client’s case. Not only does this type of litigation protect the rights of the individual or parties to a case, but it establishes authority that often ensures that entire populations, collectives and people are not subject to unjust, arbitrary, and morally objectionable treatment by governments, businesses, and private citizens. 

My professional experience at SALC has cemented my conviction that litigation in courts of law is of primary importance as a means to recognise, protect, develop, and enforce the entire spectrum of human rights. I have no doubt that my remaining time at SALC will yield similarly rewarding, useful, and edifying experiences.

The first month and a half of my internship in Kuala Lumpur at International Women’s Rights Action Watch – Asia Pacific (IWRAW AP) has been marked by a complete immersion into the global feminist movement and has allowed me to gain a greater understanding of IWRAW AP’s role within it.

Soon after my arrival I had the privilege of attending an International Conference on Gender and Macroeconomics, hosted by IWRAW, and attended by feminist economists and activists from across the globe. I spent the majority of those three days in a haze of awe and intrigue, furiously taking down notes and trying to absorb as much of the debate as possible. One of the key objectives of the conference was to establish a resource group of women’s rights organisations and other experts to assist IWRAW in its advocacy and capacity-building initiatives related to global macroeconomic policies – an area that is largely overlooked (or perhaps seems out of reach) within the feminist movement. The session that left me feeling equal parts hopeful and inspired was when we were asked to unpack the different elements and principles of a feminist agenda for an alternative global economic order. This feminist ‘utopia’ that we were brainstorming was exciting to depict, especially considering that we had spent the previous day highlighting persisting structural macroeconomics. Highlights from our discussion included the proposition of a needs-based and rights-based economy, and examining what it would mean to eliminate the role of the state as a duty bearer for human rights.

Another key event I had the pleasure of attending was IWRAW AP’s staff retreat. The hustle and bustle of KL was left behind for the sleepy town of Ipoh, surrounded by limestone hills – but make no mistake, those three days were filled with a crowded itinerary that consisted solely of eating and intense planning for the year(s) ahead. Indeed, it has been a few weeks since we were holed up in our bunker (ahem, hotel), and yet the terms ‘log frames’, ‘donors’ and ‘organisational processes’ still seem to trigger me. Nevertheless, it was an excellent opportunity to gain an insight into the inner workings of an INGO. 

I also learnt a great deal about IWRAW AP’s strategic plan. This plan outlines IWRAW AP’s programs for the next five years, which will address: 

• countering the regression of human rights;
• interrogating borders and their impact on women’s human rights;
• transforming economics and development through a feminist approach;
• reframing environmental justice as a feminist issue; and 
• amplifying voices and enhancing visibility of women workers

These focal points reflect an INGO at the forefront of women’s human rights; not only are they aware of the current social and political climate but they are adapting to it. It is an organisation with a sustainable mindset too; IWRAW has assessed the priority issues within the movement and is willing to fill the gaps and take the necessary steps to address such issues. 

Finally, my main responsibility over the course of this internship has been preparing for IWRAW’s Global to Local Programme (G2L). G2L is a training and mentoring programme that focuses on building the capacity of NGOs to engage in advocacy at the international level through the CEDAW review process. 

The states being reviewed at the 75th CEDAW Session this February are Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Eritrea, Kiribati, Latvia, Moldova, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. This review is an opportunity for the CEDAW Committee, state delegations and civil society to engage in a constructive dialogue regarding state compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). It has been extremely interesting sifting through and summarising the state reports, the list of issues (which are presented by Committee), and the subsequent state responses to the list of issues.

As part of preparing for G2L, I have also had the elephantine task of arranging and coordinating the NGO representatives who will be taking part in the program. At times, especially this past week, I have considered changing my LinkedIn profile to reflect that of a ‘professional emailer’. Nevertheless, it has been exciting and informative as I engage with fellow activists and I look forward to meeting them in Geneva two weeks from now. 

Ultimately, my time here at IWRAW has surpassed all of my expectations (which were incredibly high, might I add), and I would like to thank the Castan Centre for providing me with the opportunity to intern here. If I could stay for longer, I absolutely would!

It was an honour and a privilege to have interned at Human Rights First (HRF) . HRF is a non-profit, nonpartisan international human rights organization based in New York. The organization helps people seeking asylum who cannot afford legal representation and works to protect injustice. 

When I learnt about the opportunity to intern with them, I was in disbelief and very elated. As someone from a refugee background I have always been passionate about human rights. I spent a considerable amount of time advocating for refugees and people seeking asylum here in Australia, however working at HRF has allowed me to get a better understanding between the Australian and US refugee system. 

I left Australia believing that our treatment towards refugees was cruel and inhumane, however having finished my internship now at HFR, it has become clear that the US is much worse, and that they are adopting and incorporating Australian cruel refugee policies especially in terms of mandatory detention. 

At HRF, I interned with the Refugee Representation team. The Refugee Representation team provide pro-bono legal representation for people seeking asylum in the United States who could not otherwise afford legal assistance.  I helped to conduct initial interviews and to assess the merits of the asylum claims. I was also involved in client intake interviews, which normally lasted for over 2 hours, during the intake I was required to take down notes about the clients asylum claims, going in dept , and later drafting clients affidavits . Depending on the findings I was then expected to do country information research, and other relevant legal research ,including case law to support the clients claims. I enjoyed being able to work closely with the client and having the freedom to conduct screenings and interview independently. 

Throughout my internship , I came to learn is that , many of the cases that we undertook, were quite different from the cases  that we get here in Australia . From my work with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre , often we help clients coming from war-torn countries, fleeing and seeking protection based  on claims of violence ,and political persecution. However, the majority of the clients that we helped at HRF were clients seeking protection from domestic violence and LGBT rights. It was quite interesting to be able to see and learn about different issues, that are not very common in Australia 

On my first day at Human Rights First, I was invited to attend a team meeting. At the end of the meeting, each staff member was asked to give a shout-out or provide any positive outcome from their week. A senior lawyer then shared her positive experience – here she said “I have some good news, my client has been granted bail’’. I remember sitting there confused upon hearing her remarks, as HRF primarily deals with asylum cases, not criminal cases. I could not really understand why an asylum seeker would need to be granted bail, as such conditions only applied to criminals. 

It soon became apparent that her client was arrested for seeking asylum, he was transported to a detention centre in handcuffs, his belongings were taken away from him, and was provided with a jumpsuit uniform, and called by his alien registration number. The more the senior lawyer  spoke of her “great news’’, the more I became angry. 

However, I am grateful to have been in that meeting, because it became my turning point – It motivated me – it gave me a new perspective on what it means to defend human rights. This led me to write a paper on Australia’s duty of care to refugees and people seeking, especially the children that were detained in Nauru . While interning with Human Right First, I wrote about these issues and was fortunate enough to get my paper published by the University of Oxford. 

Working at Human Rights First was an incredible experience that has reinforced my interest in pursuing a career that is focused on social justice. Now that I am back in Australia, I have continued to advocate for refugee rights, and I am speaking out and speaking for those who have been silenced for years. I am advocating for the thousands of asylum seekers  currently in Australia on bridging visas who are denied work, education and medical services. The internship has opened many doors for me.

I recently did a TEDx talk titled ‘By boat or by plane, what we seek is the same’. I owe a great deal to Monash University and the Castan Centre, without their generosity and support, I would most likely have been like every other refugee, silent and voiceless. So thank you, Marius Smith, Alice Dowling and the Castan Centre for providing me with this opportunity. 

2019 marks the 25^th anniversary since South Africa held its first democratic elections, throwing off the shackles of a racist and morally bankrupt regime, to elect the African National Congress headed by anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela. My second extended stay to Johannesburg in as many years enabled me to again immerse myself in a city and culture that, out of grave inhumanity, has produced some of history’s greatest and most noble human rights activists, with names like Walter Sisulu, Steve Biko, Winnie Mandela and Chris Hani coming to mind. 

The Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC), which provides litigation support to human rights activists and lawyers across Southern Africa, was the perfect place to build upon this legacy. 

My work at SALC was vast, diverse and impactful. In my first week, I prepared information to assist marginalised groups in Swaziland, sex and domestic workers, know their rights in a society increasingly denying its citizens those rights. In the weeks that followed, my work fed into submissions on matters relating to sedition, international criminal justice, and land rights across Botswana, Zambia, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. These tasks required a steep learning curve, as I had to quickly get my head around different legal instruments and precedent relating to a number of different human rights issues, in a legal landscape entirely different to those in which I have operated in the past. Nonetheless, the results of this learning curve were immensely rewarding, with the arguments I drafted finding themselves before the High Courts of a number of southern African States. 

A continuous theme across many of my tasks, in the vast majority of jurisdictions that SALC works, was environmental degradation and forced evictions committed by large corporations, functioning in environments with little to no regulation. SALC, alongside a number of other activist organisations, is playing a vital role in ensuring that as Africa develops, which it is doing at an incredibly rapid pace, fundamental rights to property, resources and non-discrimination are not being trodden upon. 

The reward in the type of work that I was completing became evident in late June, when, in a unanimous decision, the High Court of Botswana decriminalised same-sex sexual conduct. A landmark decision for gay rights in Africa, the court was resolute in affirming that the right to express one’s love to whomever one please is a fundamental right and guaranteed to all persons without qualification. SALC worked closely with in country activist group, the Lesbians, Gays & Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO), who were admitted as amicus in the case, and whose submissions the court noted were fundamentally important to its success. Seeing the emotion displayed by those who worked on the case, and those whose lives will be immeasurably improved as a result of the decision, brought home the importance of strategic human rights litigation, and affirmed my desire to continue working in this space. From this decision, I then created a briefing paper to assist activists in Botswana and other states to push for further reform, and better protection of LGBT rights across southern Africa. 

My time at SALC was incredibly rewarding and incredibly enjoyable, both professionally and personally. The lawyers are highly capable, and the work they do is immensely valuable in upholding and advancing human rights across the continent. This experience was truly invaluable, and I am grateful to the Castan Centre for their support and for providing me with such a rewarding experience.  

My first month in Kuala Lumpur (KL) with the IWRAW-AP team was a month of, what can only be described as, ‘getting to know’. Getting to know the team who were equal parts away on mission or leave since I arrived in early December, getting to know the work IWRAW does and also getting to know KL. My arrival coincided with the 25^th anniversary of IWRAW and I was definitely struck by the opportunity to work at an organisation, for however short a time, which has been advocating for women’s human rights for a quarter of a century. 

My main responsibility was helping in the preparations for the 72^nd CEDAW review and the Global to Local Programme run by IWRAW to facilitate the participation of CSO’s from the countries being reviewed. Preparations ranged from reading and summarising State/NGO and UN reports, getting in touch with CSO’s, soaking in the expert knowledge of the whole CEDAW review process and everything in between. The best part of this process was reading some of the NGO reports which gave a clearer view of the situation for women on the ground which some States tried to obfuscate with legalise, long winded unclear data and at times out right claiming the work of CSO’s as their own accomplishments.  I’m looking forward to Geneva and hearing states respond to the questioning by the Committee. 

The IWRAW team also run many more advocacy and capacity building programmes and luckily for me they didn’t hesitate to ask for my assistance which has given me a really varied experience and more in-depth look at the world of women’s human rights. I was invited to attend the Global Conference on Trafficking in Women & Girls in the Context of Global Migration being held in Bangkok and organised by IWRAW, and after a reading the concept note I know it will be an extremely enriching and enlightening conference, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to attend and learn from the impressive array off attendees invited. 

The second month of my internship was also the first month of 2019. By now I’ve settled into the city and the office nicely. Though work on the Global to Local programme is the main priority, I have also been assisting with other programs such as doing research on family law cases in SE Asia and researching judges in SE Asia who have made rights affirming judgements in the area of family law for an upcoming symposium being organised by the IWRAW team. I was also lucky enough to be invited along by the team to Bangkok to provide support during a global convening on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration. 

The convening aimed to analyse the root causes of trafficking as a violation of women’s human rights located at the intersections of gender, migration, development and labour. Also, to discuss positive and negative examples of anti-trafficking laws and policies and their implementation and to identify specific human rights-based, gender-sensitive protection and assistance measures. The participants in the convening ranged from CEDAW committee members, special rapporteurs and CSOs and it was such a learning experience to hear the differences in opinions from the varied participants as well as taking into perspective women’s rights, workers’ rights and migrants’ rights when thinking of human trafficking. 

Geneva was next, for the Global to Local Programme and to attend the 72^nd CEDAW review.  I missed KL (and the warmth) but I was looking forward to seeing the work of the last two months come to fruition, and to witness the impact women’s rights activists and CSO’s can have on the review process. 

The “From Global to Local” programme run by IWRAW Asia Pacific’s is designed to bridge the gap between human rights monitoring by the CEDAW Committee at the international level and grassroots activism demanding government/State accountability at the national level. The programme provides technical guidance and support on the CEDAW reporting process to women’s NGOs and facilitates the presence of women from reporting countries at the CEDAW sessions to monitor and observe the review of their government’s report and to interact with the CEDAW Committee members. The programme covers substantive input on the CEDAW Convention, processes during the CEDAW Session, the NGO oral presentations, how to effectively lobby the CEDAW Committee members, and what follow up work can be done once NGO representatives return home. 

This year the countries under review were Antigua and Barbuda, Angola, Botswana, Colombia, Ethiopia, Serbia and the United Kingdom as well as Myanmar for an exceptional review. It was all systems go from the moment the team landed in Geneva and we worked every day for three and a half weeks straight. It was intense but extremely rewarding helping the women activists from these countries navigate the CEDAW review process.  Both weeks were extremely different, both by the size of the groups as well as the nature of the issues covered by the review. The questioning ranged from child marriage and marital rape laws for Ethiopia to demilitarisation and the rights of afro-Colombian women in Colombia. The questioning of the UK revolved around devolvement, Brexit and Northern Irelands lack of government and what that meant for women, while for the smaller countries such as Angola, Botswana and Antigua and Barbuda the Committee asked about the Gender Machinery and government support. These were obviously just the tip of the iceberg as questioning for the countries ran for a whole day. Seeing the committee raise questions on issues that were highlighted by the NGO groups as priorities, with the Government representatives was extremely satisfying. Both for the activists and myself and helped to solidify that the work they were doing and for some, the extremely long journey to Geneva, was worthwhile. 

My time with IWRAW helped me to really see the impact of human rights law and its application, but also its limitations, at work. Essentially everything taught in a classroom but at the source. The experience was invaluable and I’m grateful to the Castan Centre for the support and providing me with such an exciting, educational and rewarding experience. 

“You’re the first Aboriginal I’ve ever met”.   It was a strange thing to hear and it caught me off guard, though admittedly, given the context, it wasn’t the craziest of ideas.  For me what was actually crazy was where I was, you see I was at the United Nations for the 40^th session of the Human Rights Council.  

I have always dreamed about going to the UN but never thought I would get to be involved in such a meaningful way.  The opportunity to be the Castan Centre Indigenous Intern to the Australian Permanent Mission in Geneva was life changing.   It both challenged me and showed me career pathways I did not know even existed. Working as part of Team Australia, I was able to be a part of implementing Australia’s human rights policies for the session.  Witnessing how human rights framework is debated and applied, or at times even disregarded, was eye opening. The need to protect and advocate for human rights is paramount, their existence should never be taken for granted.  This was evident at the Council, a delicate struggle of competing ideologies was on full display.   

The team that I was a part of were nothing short of amazing, diplomacy is often a balancing act and Team Australia has some of the finest acrobats around.  Working for DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was a rewarding experience. If I am being completely honest, as an Indigenous man, I was anxious about working for the Australian government.  However, my supervisors were encouraging and showed me what a career in international affairs and multilateralism looks like. While diplomacy is at times complex, often it is just simply being genuine and having a laugh together.  This, for me, was one of the most rewarding parts of my experience, being able to meet people from all over the world.

From the time we arrived, it was quite busy, two other Australian interns and myself were a welcomed addition to the team.  As a member state of the Human Rights Council, Australia was quite involved. Our tasks involved supporting Australian diplomats, reporting daily happenings to Canberra and attending events as Australian representatives.

The US’s self-removal from the Council has created a power vacuum, and the growing influence of China was on full display.  A controversial issue throughout the course of the session was China and their treatment of the Uyghur people, a Muslim minority located in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang.  Perspective is everything. According to the UN and countries like the USA and the UK, these people are being rounded up and held in internment camps for “re-education” akin to that of cultural genocide, while the official explanation from Beijing is that these camps are in fact they education facilities seeking to rehabilitate individuals with extremist ideologies.

It was a sobering experience at times, I was witness to firsthand accounts of human rights’ abuses happening around the world, from the ethnic cleansing in Myanmar to gender-based violence in Sudan.  I participated in a walkout, a protest and a sign of solidarity with those whose human rights are being undermined due to attacks levelled at the civilian population in Venezuela. On the day that the Council was debating the dangers of fundamentalism and increasing violent nature of nationalism, a sombre reminder of what we fight against had manifested, the devastating attacks in Christchurch were literally the news that we awoke to. I was proud when Australia delivered a joint statement with New Zealand at the Council denouncing attacks and calling for the international community to come together.  One of the most informative experiences I was exposed to was hearing the reports from various UN investigators on different humanitarian crisis’s and social issues. The need for collective action and purposeful solutions to climate change echoed across the session. I was encouraged the UN’s effort to combat racism and discrimination, after all we are much more alike than we are different.

 As a part of my internship I was involved in the drafting of resolutions, in particular the Rights of the Child resolution.  Here it was revealed to me the importance of words. The process and work that goes into the formation of the text of the resolution is quite extensive.  Australia and our allies (liked mind countries) would make suggestions and rebut the suggestions of other countries who weren’t happy with the text, often insisting that it be change to something they could agree with.  These slights changes in words, though often synonyms would make it easier to commit human rights abuses against children.

One of the greatest the highlights for me was presenting a statement on behalf of Australia on the topic of protecting Environmental Human Rights Defenders at a UN event run by the Norwegian Mission.  I was able to highlight the important role Indigenous people, in particular, the role Indigenous women play as human rights defenders, calling for their further empowerment. The foreign minister of Norway actually answered my question directly and I was able to meet with another one of the panellist, an Indigenous woman from Thailand.  I am very passionate about Indigenous rights, and being able to share with other Indigenous people from around the world, highlighted to me the issues that we as Indigenous people face in Australia are not unique and we are certainly are not alone in our struggle for equality and self-determination.

Though yes, I was working for the Australian Mission, I found myself in a way being an ambassador for my people and culture, Indigenous Australia.  It is a strange phenomenon, being the first of your people, someone as ever interacted with. To the international community, we are often barely a blimp on their radar when they think of Australia.  It was an honour to be able to share with people my personal experience of what it is like to grow as an Indigenous person in Australia. Afterwards people often questioned their perspectives of Australia.  

During my internship in Geneva, I have come to realise the importance of multilateralism, though the UN is often criticised, it does serve a valuable purpose.  It serves as a spotlight, shining a light on human rights, abuses and their perpetrators. It is important that we work together to uphold and protect human rights from those who would seek to dismiss them.  

I am truly grateful to the Bennelong Foundation, Castan Centre and the Australian Government for allowing me to have this opportunity.  I will carry the experiences that I had with me for life; I know they will be a great asset to me in my future endeavours.  

Jared Poland, a proud Malgana Yamatji man.

As a Castan Centre Global Intern I spent three months this past summer in Houston, Texas assisting capital defence attorneys in their tireless efforts to prevent the State from executing their clients. Based in the county referred to as the “buckle of the death belt”, I had a swift and sobering introduction to the Texan criminal justice system and to the systemic issues underpinning the practice of capital punishment in the United States. The internship experience was a conscience roller-coaster, challenging my perceptions and ultimately reaffirming my firmly held conviction that the State should not execute.

Throughout my internship I was given invaluable opportunities to assist with pre-trial consultations  and post-conviction appeals. I was tasked with interviewing potential witnesses, conducting document review, investigating mitigating material and researching  developments in the law relating to the constitutional prohibition on executing those with intellectual disabilities. I also met with clients to relay information and to check on their wellbeing.

My first visit to Death Row was a confronting, but impactful experience. I had been apprehensive to meet the clients, having worked on their cases, with the details of the crimes they’d been convicted of still fresh in my mind. I wasn’t sure what to expect of these individuals who had been deemed worthy of death. I quickly came to realise the reality that these inmates, who some would label ‘monsters’, were just as human as you or I. This realisation was simultaneously shocking and reassuring, as I struggled to reconcile my own conceptions of justice, morality and innate humanity. As I drove away from Death Row, I wondered if their sentence might have been different if the jurors tasked with choosing their death had the chance to sit and talk with them as I had. In sharing a conversation would they be reminded of their innate humanity? Would that give them pause to consider whether the State taking their life would atone for the taking of another’s? Outside of a courtroom, would they consider these human beings to be worth more than their worst act? Would they choose differently if the taking of a human life was not masked by clinical procedure, or if they themselves were responsible for strapping them to a gurney, hearing their last words to their family, administering the lethal dose of Pentobarbital and watching their heart stop?

During the internship, I also had the opportunity to attend a capital punishment symposium, where a panel of people of all persuasions and perspectives shared their experiences. A mother spoke of watching her son die in the execution chamber, a former corrections officer shared his experience of participating in executions, a former spokesperson for the prison spoke of witnessing hundreds of executions and various defence attorneys described their experience of losing clients. It was clear to me that there was trauma experienced by everyone involved in or touched by the process. There was general agreement, even from those who embrace the use of the death penalty, that the system is broken. 

Many people I met were curious to know why I would travel across the world to assist in capital defence work. I came to expect ‘but, why?’ every time I took an uber or met someone new. The question became a source of great frustration to me- how could I adequately address in the length of a short conversation the greater questions of justice, morality, prejudice and a person’s right to exist? There are many compelling reasons, including the risk of irreversibly punishing an innocent person, the arbitrary and political nature of choosing who to charge with a capital crime, and the costliness of a death sentence as compared with life in prison, but perhaps the most compelling is an incompatibility with human rights. When governments are empowered to create laws that kill people, protections need to be put in place that respect life. While most people have faith in the justice of the justice system and believe that those in power have their best interests at heart, that is entirely dependent on what acts lawmakers consider to be deserving of death. In Texas, for instance, I was shocked to learn that a person can be (and has been) executed even if they haven’t killed anybody, because the Law of Parties holds them equally responsible for a murder committed by an associate, even if they were not present for the murder or had no knowledge of the intention to kill.

The resilience and rapport among the team of attorneys I worked with was a counterbalance to the heaviness of the work. The team’s selfless dedication and drive in their efforts to defend those most vulnerable to abuse of power was incredibly inspiring and I am so appreciative of the way they mentored me during my time there. 

Working at the United Nations Human Rights Council as the Castan Centre Intern was a life-changing experience. I learnt about the paramount importance of human rights, and the challenges the international community face in protecting them. My mentors and colleagues at the Australian government mission showed me what a career in international relations looks like, whether that be in DFAT or a non-governmental organisation, and demonstrated the skills and diplomacy required to successfully fight for those most in need.

Throughout my six weeks in Geneva, I took part in many of UN procedures in relation to Australia’s role as a council member. It was such valuable experience, particularly the insight into the way a state prepares for and operates during the Human Rights Council.

While attending council, I witnessed evidence of many human rights abuses and saw the UN’s response to unfolding humanitarian crises. Early in the sessions, we witnessed reports regarding Myanmar, where ethnic cleansing in the Rakhine State had decimated the Rohingya population. The images were sobering, but they highlighted the need for the United Nations, and NGOs, to intervene on behalf of the Rohingya people’s human rights.

One issue that particularly interested me was the abolition of capital punishment. I was inspired to see the progress the international community has made in this regard, to the point that Africa was heralded as the ‘next abolitionist continent’. Nonetheless, public executions are still used in many states, not for justice, but to create fear in the population and thereby consolidate authority. It still continues to be a prevailing issue around the world; however, I felt proud seeing the Human Rights Council stand up for its abolition.

As part of the internship, I played a role in drafting resolutions. This took shape through the meetings of various state delegations, where we would workshop draft resolutions paragraph-by-paragraph, ensuring that they satisfied all states wishing to see them adopted. While some of these meetings could be quite laborious, it could get more intense depending on the issue being discussed. All the hard work paid off, as Australia’s resolutions were passed by the council.

Perhaps my greatest highlight was speaking before the UN Council on Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme, as part of the Council’s session on Persons with Disabilities. I was elected to speak on this issue because of my experience working in the healthcare industry. Australia was commended for its policies for people with disabilities by the Special Rapporteur, and so it was an honour to thank the Special Rapporteur for their positive words, and share Australia’s initiatives with the world. I was also honoured to represent Australia when attending World Down Syndrome Day at the UN, which involved listening to inspirational speeches by disability activists, including the youngest speaker ever before the UNHRC: a two-year old child from China with Down Syndrome.

Another issue I care deeply about is the rights of Indigenous peoples. The Council examined various issues facing Indigenous people globally, including dispossession of tribes in South America, neglected poverty in United States and Canada, and the universal struggle for respect and recognition in the face of cultural erasure. Hearing the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, give an acknowledgement of country, before this global stage, made me grateful for the steps Australia has taken to recognise Indigenous Australia, but also mindful of the further work that needs to be done.

Throughout my time in the Human Rights Council, I became aware of the various challenges in protecting human rights. Certain issues seem at times too overwhelming for the international community to handle, such as climate change, or the many millions of displaced people. Ideological, religious and political differences complicate how human rights are framed. For certain governments, it will always be in their geopolitical interest to ignore human rights (which is why it is critical to have multilateral institutions such as the UN holding them to account).

Nonetheless, I remain firmly convinced that the world’s major humanitarian issues can be resolved if we listen and cooperate with one another, and I am inspired by all the Council was able to accomplish while I was there. I am grateful to the Castan Centre, the Bennelong Foundation and the Australian Mission for giving me this opportunity, and I look forward to applying all I have learned going into the future.

Jayden Crozier was the 2018 Bennelong Foundation Indigenous UN Intern