Togo: Voluntary Law/Human Rights Internships in Africa

Togo: Volunteer Law & Human Rights Internships and Work Experience

Togo is amongst the world’s poorest countries and has received its fair share of criticism over its human rights record. Today many local and international organisations are working to improve the situation of the poor, repressed and vulnerable within the country. Since trouble-free parliamentary elections took place in October 2007 many people are confident that during the next few years Togo will make further progress in human rights and democratic governance. You can play a part in this progress by volunteering on a Human Rights Law project in Togo.

The experience that you will gain while volunteering on the Human Rights project in Togo will undoubtedly improve your CV. This applies whether you are a gap-year student looking to study law at university or a law graduate looking to gain some practical work experience in human rights. Your precise role will be determined by your knowledge of law and level of interest in specific areas. International law experience is certainly something that all law firms will be pleased to see when recruiting trainees and new partners.

The main language of communication in Togo is French and speaking intermediate French is necessary to be able to participate fully in this project.

Volunteering on a Human Rights Law Internship in Togo

Volunteers in Togo work with either WiLDAF (Women in Law and Development in Africa) or La Ligue Togolaise de Droit de l’Homme (LTDH), a member of the international organisation FIDH.

WiLDAF is a Pan-African non-governmental organisation (NGO) focusing on women's rights. It forms the basis of a network of local women's NGOs and organisations with the aim of bringing together research and material to further promote their cause.

WiLDAF -Togo undertakes a variety of work, including raising awareness, formulating pleas and representing the cause for women’s rights at national meetings and seminars. They also train committees of local women in the rural areas and help resolve individual abuses by collaborating with partner organisations.

LTDH is an office based in Lomé which deals with complaints of Human Rights violations, as well as formulating pleas, implementing the constitution and revising legal protocols. They represent their cause at regional, national and international meetings.

Your role as a volunteer is to assist either team with the treatment of individual cases, awareness projects and/or conducting research. Your responsibilities will depend on your previous experience as well as your interests and initiative.

There are many areas of Human Rights that need proper attention in Togo. You may join projects dealing with the following issues:

• Children’s rights
• Women’s rights
• Prison conditions
• Police accountability
• Electoral transparency

One of the main aims is to help raise awareness so that ordinary Togolese people understand their rights, and what protection they are legally entitled to in certain situations. Your role in this might involve various activities such as:

• Raising awareness in rural communities
• Preparing leaflets, posters or educational tools
• Running training programmes
• Planning promotional campaigns

WiLDAF and LIDH are serious professional organisations. You may sometimes have deadlines or you may be asked to represent the organisation at meetings and other events. Your work will be important for the growth of human rights in West Africa.

These projects are available for two weeks if you don't have time to join us for a month or more. The projects have been selected by our local colleagues as being suitable for short term volunteering for both the placement and the volunteer. Although you will gain a valuable cultural insight and work intensely within the organisation please be aware that you may not be able to make the same impact as someone volunteering for a longer period.