WATCH Project Internship
Please note that internship applications must be submitted through the form on our website.
This internship is designed for individuals who feel passionate about advocating for a trauma-responsive legal system for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking that focuses on healing and the needs of individuals. Interns will work specifically with the WATCH court observation project.
The WATCH project draws on international human rights standards and the practice of court monitoring to defend the human rights of survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. WATCH volunteers and interns document the court experience and analyze the legal response to gender-based violence. Guided by this research and partnership from survivors and system actors, WATCH advocates for trauma-responsive legal and community-based pathways to healing and justice for all survivors. Central to WATCH’s work is the grounding principle that addressing gender-based violence entails preventing the criminalization of survival and increasing voice, agency, empowerment, equity, and dignity for all survivors at intervention points throughout community and legal systems.
Interns will focus on conducting court observation and records research in Hennepin County Criminal court. Interns may also be asked to assist with tasks such as general research, memo drafting, and general project support as needed. Please note that this internship requires 15+ hours per week.
Possible duties and responsibilities:
- Observe criminal court proceedings; record information about court procedure, factors related to abuse or trafficking, trauma responsive practices, and potential criminalization of survival issues.
- Identify patterns and trends throughout court observation.
- Identify and record case-related data from the Minnesota Court Records Online database.
- Assist, on an as-needed basis, with court calendar/docket compiling, data clean-up, data analysis, and research.
- Attend debriefs with WATCH staff, interns, and volunteers.
- Other project support tasks as needed.
Experience and qualifications:
- A passion for human rights defense work and building trauma informed and inclusive systems to support survivors of gender-based violence.
- Must understand the complexities of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking and other gender-based violence.
- Intellectual curiosity and critical thinking skills.
- Ability to work as a part of a team and shift to different project tasks as needed.
- Organized, self-starter, detail-orientated and able to meet deadlines.
- Commitment to maintaining confidentiality.
- Must be at least 18 years of age.
Questions?
Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page. If your question is not answered in there, you can email internships@advrights.org. Please note that internship applications must be submitted using the form on our website.
