The Right to Vote
Frank C. Newman Intern Wendy Betts 3L
I entered law school with a strong passion for human rights. I was therefore incredibly excited to be selected as one of the six students who would advocate on human rights issues at the Human Rights Council (HRC) meeting in Geneva. Although the semester began with a flurry of research and writing to become fully conversant in my topic, the true import of what I had been selected to do did not strike until walking into the HRC meeting room for the first time. In taking our place among other NGO representatives with open access to state delegations, it became clear just how unique an opportunity the clinic provides.
Juvenile Justice: Sentencing Practices in Violation of International Law
Frank C. Newman Intern Marie Vincent ’12
For the 19th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Human Rights Advocates (HRA) continued its work on juvenile justice, with a focus on extreme sentencing practices in violation of international law—namely, the death penalty, life imprisonment without any possibility of release, and corporal punishment. We also addressed the problem of age determination in countries lacking birth registration systems.
Dispatches from a Geneva Intern: The Right to Adequate Housing and Thoughts for Future Interns
Frank C. Newman Intern Kevin LaPorte ’12
It was my honor and privilege to be one of six interns chosen for the Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic. The clinic was not a tough sell, given the fact that interns get to travel to Geneva, Switzerland, to witness the United Nations Human Rights Council in person.
I knew I wanted to study the right to adequate housing from the outset. For a comparative law class I wrote my final paper on the blatant land-grabbing situation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This issue strikes a particular cord with me, as I have witnessed first hand the human rights abuses occurring in some of the most contentious land grabbing sites while working in Phnom Penh.
The Perpetuation of Global Hunger Through Improper Food Aid and Land Grabbing
Frank C. Newman Intern Julia Quinn ’12
The right to food has been recognized as a basic human right since the inception of the United Nations. Since that time, it has remained at the forefront of the United Nations agenda. However, despite the attention it has received from the international community, global hunger continues to grow. In 2009, the number of hungry in the world reached more than one billion of which the rural poor constitute roughly 80 percent (United Nations Human Rights Fact Sheet #34, p.1).
The Human Rights Implications of Private Prisons
Frank C. Newman Intern Martha Menendez ’12
Last October, I was one of six USF law students selected to participate in the 19th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, as a representative of Human Rights Advocates, in Geneva, Switzerland. My work for the clinic consisted of researching and developing a report on the inherent incompatibility of the private prison industry and the maintenance of basic human rights principles. (For an abbreviated version of my report, see: A/HRC/19/NGO/32.) Before embarking on this task I had read several disturbing reports on the private prison industry’s lobbying efforts in favor of recent laws that criminalize immigrants and require their indefinite detention, many times at private detention centers. As I delved deeper into the matter I was horrified, though unfortunately not surprised, to discover that the business of incarceration has far greater implications across a wide plane of human rights issues including minority rights, labor rights, immigrant rights, the right against arbitrary detention, and several others.
The Death Row Phenomena
Frank C. Newman Intern Cherisse Cleofe ’12
This past spring, I had the great fortune of being one of the Frank C. Newman interns attending the 19th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (“HRC”) in Geneva, Switzerland. In the course of conducting research and developing the advocacy on the death row phenomenon, I concentrated on two main points: (1) the negative relationship between death penalty moratoriums and the death row phenomenon and (2) the connection between the death penalty and solitary confinement. For a copy of my report, please see A/HRC/19/NGO/19. A full version of my report is also available here.
Chronic Malnutrition from a Gender Perspective
Edith Coliver Intern Lindsay Freeman 3L
Despite the intense weeks of researching, writing, practicing oral statements, and lobbying through role-play with my classmates, there is nothing that could have prepared me for the excitement and terror of approaching my first delegate or having the floor for two minutes to address a room full of UN General Assembly members.
The priority theme for the 56th Commission on the Status of Women was the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges. When asked to pick a topic for my research that fell within this overarching theme, I immediately thought of my past experience in Guatemala. Before law school I did research on violence against women and impunity in Guatemala as part of a task force with the Pacific Council on International Policy. During this trip, in the rural highlands near San Juan Comalapa, I learned the term “chronic malnutrition” from an American doctor running a health NGO to treat impoverished, sick, and malnourished Mayan women and children.
The Impact of Food Insecurity on Women’s Personal Security
Edith Coliver Intern Cassandra Yamasaki ’12
This past semester, I had the pleasure of being one of two students who participated in the 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. With the one-year anniversary of UN Women, and the highest rate of NGO participation in CSW history, the energy at the Commission was infectious. Packed with women from every corner of the world, I felt even more determined to reach the ultimate goal of advancing women’s empowerment. However, I was completely unaware of the amount of strength, patience, and resilience it takes to make even the slightest step toward this end.
Children in the Judicial Process: Worrying Trends and Best Practices
Director of the Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic Connie de la Vega
At the 19th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, I was honored to participate as a panelist at the all-day event on the rights of the child, which included one session on the administration of justice. My presentation on the panel, available below, was on inhuman sentencing of juveniles—including the death penalty, life imprisonment, and corporal punishment.
Advocacy at the United Nations
Director of the Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic Connie de la Vega
Eight students participated in the University of San Francisco’s Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic during the Spring 2012 semester, representing Human Rights Advocates at the meetings of two UN human rights bodies. Two Edith Coliver Interns attended the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York and six Frank C. Newman Interns attended the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, Switzerland.