Human Rights Law Network, Delhi, India

Eileen Rhein (right)
Eileen Rhein on a field visit to a local village outside New Delhi.

Namaste, from Delhi, India! This summer I have had the incredible opportunity to work for the Indian Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) headquartered in New Delhi, India. As a grassroots NGO with offices throughout India, it has afforded me the opportunity to interact directly with those individuals struggling with and advocating against human rights violations. The experience has been truly eye-opening and ever interesting.

HRLN engages in public interest litigation and advocacy, investigates rights violations through fact findings and other initiatives, and researches, creates, and distributes important legal publications for lawyers and the public alike. By publishing 'know your rights' materials, participating in human rights campaigns, and offering free legal services and legal awareness programmes to the general public, the organization has made significant inroads in the human rights sector.  For example, I recently attended an HIV case litigated by HRLN at the Delhi High Court. Nevertheless, with 1.3 Billion people, and numerous human rights violations, there is still much work to be done throughout the nation.

In terms of particular human rights initiatives, HRLN engages in a broad range of areas, from child rights, Dalit rights, and disability rights to reproductive rights, women's justice, refugee rights, and more.  Currently, I am interning in the Women's Justice Initiative, a group that opposes all forms of gender-based discrimination and violence against women, and strives to enable women's access to the justice system, as a vital means of female empowerment.  As a result, this initiative provides comprehensive free legal services to low income and marginalized women, and utilizes legal education, advocacy and policy analysis to promote equal rights for women.  With such a broad range of activities, days in the office vary drastically, with the result that there is always something new and interesting for me to engage in, from trips to the Court and client interviews, to conferences and intra-office roundtables.

Within the Women's Justice Unit, I have been working on the "Equality Handbook on Issues Relating to Women, Sexual Orientation, and Disability Rights." This publication will detail historical background, current domestic and international laws, and multilateral conventions pertaining to these minorities, as well as make policy recommendations to fill remaining gaps in Indian law.  It will be the first of its kind and will be provided to justices, lawyers, and paralegals throughout the country, many of whom do not have access to up to date information on these developing rights initiatives.  Even in my own research, locating up to date and relevant information can be a difficult task in India as information is not always readily available online and up-to-date hard copies can be hard to come by.  This makes the need for this handbook ever more clear to me!

In spite of these difficulties, my work has been extremely fascinating and I'm sure I am learning more than I am currently aware of.  Through this project, I have had the opportunity to attend conferences within Delhi as well as meet with local experts on relevant women's rights issues. Next week, I will have the opportunity to attend a unique three day conference in Bangalore run by the Vimochana Forum for Women's Rights on the India Court of Women on Dowry and Related Forms of Violence Against Women. Though roundtable discussions, community conversations and victim testimonies this Forum promotes healing, understanding, and prevention of issues facing women in various nations throughout the world.

In early August I may have the opportunity to conduct a fact finding on women migrant labour in Mumbai, something I am extremely keen to do.  Further to my investigations regarding women's property rights in India, I am also scheduled to speak with a female representative on a Panchayat, a local self governance structure with elected members who are responsible for village affairs.  Finally, I have had the opportunity to explore the Indian Court system, attending cases litigated by HRLN at the district courts, the Delhi High Court and the Indian Supreme Court, all of which have been exciting and interesting experiences. These incredible endeavours have broadened my academic and personal horizons and provided me with incredible insight into both Human Rights Law as well as NGO work abroad, both of which differ drastically from similar experiences within Canada.

Lastly, but certainly not least, are the incredible people I have met and interacted with through HRLN. By employing both Indian and International legal interns, the organization provides a unique mosaic of diverse backgrounds and perspectives which contribute to an engaging work environment and exciting evenings and weekends. Spending nearly '24/7' together, we have grown extremely close and I will be looking ever forward to visiting with my network of new friends abroad in the future.

In my free time, I enjoy exploring Delhi and nearby localities. The city is full of great sightseeing and shopping, not to mention delicious Indian food. This past weekend the other interns and I went to a hill station to escape the desert heat of Delhi and last month we visited the Taj Mahal in Agra. The monument to love truly lives up to its name! It is absolutely incredible.

Thus far, my Indian experience has been everything I had hoped for and more. Though I was initially set on working for a large scale International NGO, I could not have made a better personal choice than to come to HRLN here in Delhi. The sights are incredible, the people are amazing and the work is truly fulfilling.  I will be saddened to end my internship and return to Canada at the end of August, but with so much more to see and do in India, I know I will return.