The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) is seeking resourceful and creative individuals for internships positions for its London office. We are looking for persons with knowledge and some experience conducting research and advocacy, programme management, and communications and who would like to deepen their experience by working with a small non-profit organisation committed to the protection and promotion of human rights.

Who we are

CHRI is an independent, international non-governmental organisation working for the practical realisation of human rights through research, advocacy, and mobilisation since 1987. We have offices in London, New Delhi and Accra.

CHRI focuses on the intersection of human rights, transparency and good governance, with programmes on access to justice, access to information, eradicating contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking, freedom of expression and media freedom, and building the capacity of civil society organisations to access UN human rights mechanisms. CHRI London founded the Commonwealth 8.7 Network, a global network of 115+ civil society organisations and individuals who share a common vision to eradicate contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking.

What we offer

This is an exciting opportunity to gain work experience in the small office of an established  international human rights NGO in the area of research, capacity building, and advocacy. We pride ourselves in being a learning organisation, and offer mentorship and support to all our interns.

The members of the London team are located across geographies and time zones, mostly working remotely. This is a unique set up that provides interns with flexibility, the opportunity to own and lead their own work streams with supervision and guidance.

We offer experience of working on global human rights issues, in a variety of capacities. We are currently seeking:

               Two (2) Research Interns

               One (1) Communications Intern

Key responsibilities include:

Research Intern:

• Writing and Research Support: We are looking for someone with strong research, analysis, and synthesis skills - mostly desk-based but with some opportunity for primary data collection. You will support in data collection and analysis, and drafting of major human rights reports, including reports on freedom of expression and the climate change/ modern slavery and drafting of statements on current human rights issues.

• Advocacy Support: You will support our engagement with, and advocacy efforts at the UN, with the Human Rights Council, Treaty Bodies or other human rights mechanisms. This may include contributing to reports from various UN mandates, collating issues for UPR recommendations, and drafting written and oral statements for Human Rights Council sessions.

Communications Intern:

• Social media support – We are looking for someone who is passionate about digital storytelling and who understands the power of social media for advocacy. Successful applicants will know how to use social media to promote our work and to engage with new and existing partners, including Commonwealth 8.7 Network members.
• Creative thinking - We are looking for innovative and creative thinkers. Successful applicants will be able to craft creative and engaging content for a variety of audiences.

• Website content creation - We are building a new website! And looking for individuals who can support the adaptation of existing new content suited to our audience.
   

All Interns:

• Administrative Assistance: You will from time to time, assist with some administrative tasks, such as information management and liaising with partners, as well as work on other projects of the CHRI London team, as and when required.
• Supporting the CHRI Human Rights Update - All our interns are responsible for working on the Human Rights Update, a newsletter that we circulate each week, compiling human rights news from across the Commonwealth. Applicants should have a keen attention to detail, should be able to juggle competing deadlines and should be interested in tracking emerging human rights news.

What we ask for

Interns work on a flexible basis. We are looking for someone able to commit to at least 3 days a week for a minimum of 3 to 6 months. The intern will have regular check-ins with their supervisor, and regular reviews.

Qualifications and skills include:

• Education and/or experience in human rights or related subjects.
• Excellent communications skills, including the ability to write clearly and concisely in English.
• Experience conducting desk-based research and a good understanding of research methodologies and analysis.
• Particular expertise in the areas of either: contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking, climate change impacts, access to justice, is desirable.
• Working knowledge of the UN human rights mechanisms is desirable.
• Good knowledge more broadly of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights would be a significant asset.
• Ideal candidates will be able to demonstrate a high degree of personal responsibility for their work and the ability to manage their own time and workload. Showing initiative is a key factor for success in this role.

To Apply:

Please send your CV and a recent writing/research sample(s) to london@humanrightsinitiative.org. In the subject line, kindly indicate the internship position you are applying for, along with your name. For example: Application for Research Intern – Your Name.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis up to 7 August 2025, though we aim to fill the internship immediately. Start date is as soon as possible. Please note that interns could be based anywhere in the world as the work can be done remotely.