| As human rights violations continue to occur around | | | | groups of students work together with public |
| the globe, law schools are establishing human rights | | | | interest and human rights NGOs, conducting research, |
| clinics to meet the ever increasing demand for human | | | | designing advocacy activities, and organizing events |
| rights lawyers. These United States based institutions | | | | that bring further attention to human and civil rights |
| are not only working to strengthen their own | | | | violations in the United States and abroad. |
| communities, but also to train students and | | | | Stanford Law School's International Human Rights |
| professors, organizations and professionals, who are | | | | Clinic also works to integrate classroom learning with |
| working to strengthen these rights outside of the | | | | experience in the field. In recent years, Stanford has |
| United States. | | | | mandated that students' first course is about the |
| Even though the Universal Declaration of Human | | | | clash between International Human and Civil Rights |
| Rights forms the basis of International Human Rights | | | | Law and the United States actions in Guantanamo. |
| Law, the Declaration itself is not legally binding. | | | | This course is coupled with subsequent international |
| However, civil rights clinics are training lawyers to | | | | travel where students help universities abroad |
| strengthen the enforcement of such rights and | | | | establish human and civil rights clinics of their own. |
| increase adherence to the agreements that several | | | | Last fall, Stanford's Human and Civil Rights Clinic also |
| nation-states have signed. | | | | started providing free coordination of international |
| While international law is a relatively young field, many | | | | doctors and psychologists in order to train local |
| distinguished law schools have created outstanding | | | | medical professionals to deal with rights violations in |
| programs for aspiring civil rights lawyers and | | | | their own countries. |
| professors. At Columbia Law School's Justice Clinic, | | | | While several distinguished universities have |
| students and professors focus on the cross cultural | | | | established human and civil rights clinics, one of the |
| implications of international law, and encourage | | | | most promising clinics was launched just last year, in |
| students to immerse themselves in today's human | | | | August of 2008. The Sanela Diana Jenkins |
| and civil rights battles. | | | | International Justice Clinic at UCLA is a unique |
| The clinic focuses on providing students with a | | | | interdisciplinary program that seeks to be focused |
| number of different skills that are necessary in the | | | | and dynamic. |
| field. For example, the clinic instructs students on how | | | | Established with a generous donation of $4 million |
| to conduct investigative research and interviews that | | | | from Diana Jenkins [ a refugee of the Bosnian war in |
| are necessary for human rights cases. Unlike many | | | | Sarajevo, the clinic helps students and professors |
| other fields of law, these on the ground skills are | | | | create and implement new advocacy strategies. By |
| necessary for learning how to identify human and civil | | | | focusing on advocacy, the Jenkins International |
| rights abuses in a number of different settings and | | | | Justice Clinic hopes to teach lawyers how to draw |
| how to empower local organizations and lawyers to | | | | national and international attention to human rights |
| bring violators to trial. | | | | violations, creating the necessary pressure that |
| Similarly in Harvard Law School's International Justice | | | | inspires nation-states to enforce human and civil |
| Clinic, students learn about these rights through | | | | rights law. |
| current events. While the clinic is based in Cambridge, | | | | In honor of Diana Jenkins and the schools |
| students regularly travel internationally to document | | | | commencement, students and faculty dedicated their |
| human and civil rights abuses and promote respect | | | | first academic year to the war crimes committed in |
| for international law. | | | | Bosnia and the International Criminal Tribunal for the |
| Harvard's program also provides students with | | | | former Yugoslavia. |
| connections to dozens of organizations throughout | | | | As these human rights clinics continue to grow, their |
| the world that are seeking to bring human and civil | | | | efforts will surely be seen in the coming years. |
| rights cases to trial. The clinic provides funding for | | | | Already their work has deeply influenced individuals |
| research during summer and winter breaks and free | | | | and organizations in the United States and abroad and |
| support to dozens of countries where human rights | | | | strengthened the implementation of international law. |
| violations occur on a mass scale. | | | | In the fight against human rights violations, these |
| At Yale Law School, the Lowenstein Human Rights | | | | clinics are necessary for training the future's leaders |
| Project enables students to pursue human and civil | | | | and strengthening international law around the world. |
| rights on an extracurricular basis. In this clinic, small | | | | |