The organization
The International Bureau for Children’s Rights (IBCR)
is an international non-governmental organization, whose board of
directors is composed of Canadian and international experts. The
IBCR’s mission is to contribute to the protection and promotion of
children’s rights worldwide.
To know more about the organization, please visit
http://www.ibcr.org
Internship focus
You will join the team of the IBCR’s researchers,
lawyers, students and volunteers in the framework of the
implementation of the 2008-2009 plan, which envisages conducting
research, analyzing and preparing draft country profiles concerning
the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
and/or reports on child trafficking in Canada, and/or activities to
implement the new UN Guidelines on Justice in Matters Involving
Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime and/or assisting in
fundraising activities. For more details, see the explanatory notes
below.
This internship also includes administrative tasks
relating to the above-mentioned research topics, participation in
staff meetings as well as collaboration within the framework of
other projects.
Dates and length
The internships start in fall 2008 ( positions
open respectively in August, September and October ). Its
minimal length is 12 weeks with 4 to 5 workdays per week. No
remuneration is envisaged for this internship; IBCR will reimburse
public transportation expenses and offer compensation for lunch.
Requirements
· Concentration
in one of the following fields: law, international law,
international relations, human science, political science,
sociology, criminology, victimology, African studies or related
fields ( preference will be given to graduate students who can
receive academic credits for the internship );
· Autonomy
and resourcefulness;
· Ability
to work in team and to work under pressure;
· Excellent
writing skills in English ( some positions ) or in French ( other
positions );
· Familiarity
with human/children’s rights, human rights instruments, field
experience or relevant work experience is a plus.
Standards of background evaluation
· Academic
background, including relevant university courses completed and
research written on issues relevant to IBCR’s fields of work;
· Application
letter, assessed according to the quality of writing and the
subjects raised in the letter: interest and importance of internship
in student’s career, previous experience, knowledge or other
relevant skills for the internship;
· Dynamics
of the brief pre-selection interview.
Deadline for application:
June
24th 2008
( applications submitted after deadlines may be considered )
How to apply
The application package must include:
·
Application letter;
·
Curriculum vitae (including a section with
references);
·
Academic record/grades (preferably Internet version).
Send your application to :
Luc Ouimet or at
l.ouimet@ibcr.org
Director of
Administration
IBCR
2715 chemin Côte
Ste-Catherine
Montreal, Quebec
H3T 1B6
Students able to credit this internship will be given preference.
Announcement issued in June 2008
*
* *
INTERNATIONAL
BUREAU FOR CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
Country profiles on
the status of realization of children’s rights
The
programme on Country Profiles on the Status of the Implementation of
the CRC is one of IBCR’s core activities. It involves analysis and
reporting on the status of implementation of the CRC and its
Optional Protocols. It particularly aims to detect existing
challenges and gaps, highlight progress made and identify
commendable practices that are developed in the area of children’s
rights by States Parties. Moreover, it allows a comparative analysis
and an enhanced knowledge of the situation of children’s rights at
both national and regional levels,
highlighting achievements, variations and remaining challenges
particular to a regional ensemble. The overall objective is to fill
the disparities in monitoring children’s rights at the national and
regional levels, and facilitate the implementation of the CRC and
its Optional Protocols globally by providing States Parties with
successful international practices that could be implemented in
their respective countries. The knowledge produced serves as the
basis to build local, national and regional capacities of actors
involved in the promotion and protection of children’s rights though
training and regional workshops.
IBCR has developed a
particular expertise in conducting such analyses of children’s
rights with its first regional report on South-East Asia, “Making
Children's Rights Work: Country Profiles on Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri
Lanka, Timor Leste and Viet Nam” (2006) and its second report
entitled “Making children’s Rights Work in North Africa: Country
Profiles on Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia” (2007). IBCR
seeks to accelerate the pace of implementation of its Country
Profiles Programme covering other regions of the world, particularly
in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Building on its
experience and lessons learned in South-East Asia and more recently
in North Africa, IBCR now seeks to build the capacity of a local
partner to share its know-how and expertise in monitoring and
reporting on the implementation of the CRC and its Optional
Protocols.
Interns will be
asked to contribute to the development of the programme by
supporting the Programme Manager. Tasks appointed to interns in this
programme include researching data related to the experience of
examined countries in implementing the rights of the child, helping
developing proposals, developing training and methodological tools,
organising data and creating reference material.
Child trafficking in
Canada: evaluation and intervention strategy
Child trafficking,
especially for the purpose of sexual exploitation, is a modern form
of slavery that is ever-increasing internationally. Canada is not an
exception. Indeed, it is a country of destination and transit, even
a country of origin. Moreover, the internal trafficking of children
is increasing. Further, as the trafficking of children is an illicit
and clandestine “business”, it is poorly documented. With this
concern in mind, the IBCR published a preliminary study on child
trafficking in Canada in March 2004, with the financial support of
the Justice department of Canada. The study highlighted the
obstacles faced by professionals working with children, namely the
difficulty of identifying such children, the lack of knowledge of
their rights and inadequate treatment.
Recognizing that there is a need for more precise information on
child trafficking and the need to take action, the IBCR has, in 2006
and 2007 and for the Department of Public Affairs of Canada,
undertaken the elaboration of a Strategic Action Plan for the
Protection of the Rights of Victims of Child Trafficking in Quebec.
The main objectives of this project are: (1) to prevent child and
youth trafficking; (2) to contribute to the reduction of crime by
gaining a better understanding of this problem and (3) to improve
the protection of child victims of trafficking.
Building
on the recommendations that were forwarded to combat child
trafficking in Quebec, an Action Plan has been partially implemented
through the course of this year.
With the results obtained and the support of Status Women Canada,
IBCR will develop in the next year, a training session on child
trafficking for community stakeholders.
Child victims and
witnesses of crime: implementing the new United Nations Guidelines
Millions of children around the world are victims and witnesses of
criminal activities: wars, violence, cruelty, abuse and personal
losses of parents and friends. These
children are traumatized as a result of these criminal acts. They
are young, vulnerable and require special protection. Special
measure must be taken and appropriate structures at national level
must be put in place to ensure their psychosocial recovery and
social reintegration. It is in response to this problem and in
response also to the expressed need by governments and professionals
for guidance in this field that the IBCR intervened and provided its
support by elaborating the Guidelines on Justice for Child
Victims and Witnesses of Crime. Since they were finalised by
IBCR in 2003, the guidelines have been translated into seven
languages and published in many countries.
The
world is one step closer to becoming a safer place for children now
that the Guidelines on Justice in Matters Involving Child Victims
and Witnesses of Crime have been adopted by the United Nations
in 2005.
Based on the IBCR Guidelines, the new UN Guidelines were finalized
by an intergovernmental group of experts convened by the UN
Secretary General, which met in Vienna in 2005, thanks to the
financial support of the Government of Canada.
The Guidelines set forth a framework to ensure
that children who have been victims of crimes or witnesses to crime
are treated in a fair, dignified and secure manner when they are
involved in a judicial process.
The adoption of the
Guidelines comes at a crucial time. More than ever, the rights of
children are infringed and children are victims of trafficking,
sexual exploitation and involvement in armed conflict.
A plan
of action has recently been elaborated by the UN Office on Drugs
and Crime (UNODC) in close collaboration with IBCR, in order to
develop a set of tools for Member States and the provision of
training on the implementation of the Guidelines. This includes: a
set of model legislative provisions; an implementation guide and
training material aimed at professionals dealing with child victims
and witnesses of crime; the carrying out of regional and
sub-regional training seminars for trainers and policy makers; and
the assessment of technical assistance needs of specific States in
reforming their legislation and setting-up appropriate institutions
to deal with child victims. Furthermore, a CD-ROM containing the
Guidelines in all six official UN languages (both the official
version and a child-friendly version currently being prepared by
UNICEF) has been launched recently.
Fundraising activities
In
order to pursue its mission, IBCR’s needs are greater and more
pressing. We are seeking the financial
support from foundations, corporations, governments, and other fund
providers.
To
this end, IBCR would much appreciate the collaboration of university
intern students to assist with the following fundraising activities
:
·
Identification of prospective funders including:
o
foundations, corporations, governmental agencies...
o
national and international....
o
better web search engines...;
·
Preparation of funding applications
·
brain storming sessions:
o
public campaign
o
special events
·
constitution of a high profile fundraising Committee
