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Students Attend U.N. Meetings on Human Rights

Mina Litvak 3L, Rajwant Virk 3L, Elena Gil 3L, Mary Johnson 3L, Sun Kim 3L, Caio Arrellano 3L, Professor de la Vega, and Simeneh Kiros Assefa LLM at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

May 9, 2008 -- USF's innovative International Human Rights Clinic brought Professor Connie de la Vega and 10 students to recent meetings of the United Nations human rights bodies. Students worked as interns, researching and preparing presentations for the Commission on the Status of Women in New York City, and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. They focused on issues including juvenile justice, safe drinking water, private security corporations' accountability, elimination of the illicit transfer of toxics, and democratic participation.

"The internships help to hone the students' research and writing skills and give them a foundation in advocacy skills at the U.N.," de la Vega said. "Both the writing and oral skills are useful for any future work they do."

The students are able to participate in the U.N. meetings as representatives of the non-governmental organization (NGO) that was formed by the Bay Area nonprofit Human Rights Advocates.

Erika Dahlstrom 3L and Jeeni Phillips 3L attended the Commission on the Status of Women in late February and early March. They traveled with Cari Nutt, JD '07, a graduate from the clinic. They made recommendations to eradicate violence against women and advocated to prevent and combat trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation.

Nicole Skibola 3L, who continued her work in support of affirmative action, attended CERD in late February. Skibola worked with de la Vega this past academic year on an amicus brief to the California Supreme Court arguing that Proposition 209 conflicts with the CERD treaty. Seven other students and de la Vega followed Skibola's path to Geneva to attend the Human Rights Council in March.

Many of the students that participated said that the clinic was one of the reasons they came to USF and the trip was a highlight of their time at USF. "I can't say just how valuable this experience in Geneva was. I want to convey the personal satisfaction that comes from pursuing your goals and doing this kind of work," Mary Johnson 3L said. "It really has been an edifying experience for me."

To view reports prepared by de la Vega and USF students for the U.N., visit the Human Rights Advocates website.