Jerusha Owina
Former Law student begins an exciting Internship with a Special Tribunal at the Hague
Jerusha Owina, who has just completed her LLM International Human Rights Law has just begun an exciting Internship with a Special Tribunal at the Hague, tells us more about this opportunity.
Where are you undertaking your Internship?
At the Special Tribunal for Lebanon at the Hague, with one of the Defence Teams.
How long does your Internship last?
My internship began on 21st September 2014 and runs for 6 months, ending in February 2015.
How did you find out about the Internship?
My Master of Laws programme is in International Human Rights Law, which has a strong International Criminal Law element. Towards the end of the course, I became convinced that my future career lay in the enforcement of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law through International Criminal Law and started making applications to all the International criminal institutions at the Hague. I have to thank Dr. Annika Jones, the module convener for the International Criminal Law modules in the LLM programme for her encouragement and guidance in that regard.
What will you be doing during your Internship?
Since there is a trial currently ongoing, the bulk of my assignments involve conducting intensive research and comparative legal analysis, in addition to attending court sessions.
How do you hope to benefit from it?
I consider that this marks the commencement of my career as a defender of human rights internationally. Additionally, I am grateful for the opportunity to network with and learn from ‘industry- insiders’ as it were.
How are you settling in so far?
I am very excited about this opportunity and greatly enjoying my time at the Hague with my colleagues and new acquaintances. I am fortunate to work in a team with a collegial atmosphere and hoping to learn all I can in addition to making a positive contribution to the team. However, I would be less than honest if I did not say that there is a certain level of expectation that an intern has to ‘step up to the plate’!
What are your plans for the future?
All I can say at present is that I have a four year game-plan for the Hague!
Date: 2 November 2014