Human Rights Internships and Work-Experience Overseas in South Africa

Our Human Rights placements in South Africa are based in the bustling city of Cape Town, and give volunteers the opportunity to work on a really worthwhile project alongside respected humanitarian organisations, whilst also gaining first hand experience of human rights law in practice.

Volunteers with an interest in human rights, government & politics, campaigning, and even writers interested in social justice issues, will be put to great use in marginalised communities in and around Cape Town; either working alongside one of a wide variety of our partner organisations, or at our own Projects Abroad Human Rights initiative.

Whichever placement you choose, you’ll be working alongside qualified and passionate individuals who will vastly increase your knowledge of Human Rights, campaigning, community involvement, the legal system and the politics of governance. You’ll be given the opportunity to expand your horizons whilst also making a real impact on people’s quality of life.

Volunteering on a Human Rights Internship in South Africa

With its brutal history of apartheid and colonialism, there can be few better places than South Africa to get involved in campaigning for human rights. Our Human Rights projects in Cape Town offer volunteers the unique opportunity to get involved at grass roots level, raising awareness of human rights in a variety of marginalised communities or at risk groups such as prisoners, children, women, or those in rural communities throughout the Western Cape.

A voluntary placement with Projects Abroad in Cape Town would be a valuable addition to your CV in the notoriously competitive world of Law, Human Rights or International Development, and might just secure you that lucrative first job once you graduate.

Your precise role will be determined by your background and level of interest in specific areas. Placements are ideal if you are a law student, journalist or graduate seeking practical experience in human rights. However, the work is also suitable if you're volunteering pre-university, or you only have a general interest in human rights. Some placements will accept volunteers for one month while others require you to commit to at least three months on the placement and have some law experience. Please contact our staff if you would like further information on which placements you qualify for.

However long you join a project for you will need to be flexible, communicate well and work hard. Placements are certainly demanding and must be taken seriously; you will be representing a professional organisation. You may sometimes have deadlines and you may be asked to represent these organisations at rallies, private interviews, government meetings and other events.

Human Rights Work Experience opportunities with Projects Abroad

The collective mission of our Human Rights placements is to provide good quality, independent legal advice to the poor and vulnerable, to highlight inequalities and demand redress for unfair laws, and to ensure effective access to justice for all South Africans - especially the Black and Cape Coloured communities so appallingly mistreated during apartheid.

Placements in Cape Town could see you working either with our own Human Rights Initiative, which covers a broad spectrum of topics, or with an organisation that specialises in one of the following areas;

• 1. Children's rights and prevention of child abuse
• 2. Prison conditions and prisoners Rights
• 3. Election monitoring and Participatory Governance
• 4. Development and human rights in rural communities
• 5. Women’s rights

The schemes are there to help ordinary South Africans understand their rights, to empower people to speak out when their rights are infringed, and to give them the skills and knowledge necessary to do so. Your role in this might involve various activities such as:

• 1. Researching and generating media features
• 2. Conducting interviews and receiving complaints of human rights violations
• 3. Raising awareness in rural and urban communities
• 4. Preparing training materials and conducting workshops
• 5. Providing free legal advice
• 6. Preparing parliamentary submissions

Typically your placement will involve several elements. You might be producing information resources, such as research reports or questionnaires. You'll also be encouraged to make good use of the local media by writing articles on social themes, or even appearing in radio debates! At other times you might visit community groups to give advice on specific civil-rights aspects. There is plenty for you to become involved with and you will definitely be kept busy!

Volunteers on a Human Rights Internship should expect to work from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, with the option of working longer hours if you choose. All volunteers need to show a good level of initiative; all our Human Rights placements are fast-paced, and volunteers who seek their own work, ask questions and make an impact on their supervisors will have a fantastic learning experience.

All Human Rights volunteers live with host families around Cape Town. You will normally be living in a host with one other volunteer, travelling to work on public transport.

Cape Town Waterfront

Office of our Law Project

Our Law Project