Location : Delhi, India

Period of the assignment: October 2020 – July 2021.

About CHRI

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation headquartered in New Delhi, with offices in London, United Kingdom and Accra, Ghana. Since 1987, it has worked for the practical realisation of human rights across 54 Commonwealth countries. CHRI specialises in the areas of Access to Justice (Police and Prison Reforms), Access to Information (Right to Information) and Freedom of Opinion and Expression. It researches, monitors, and advocates for accountability, transparency and good governance, and strives for legislative change.

The South Asia Media Defenders Network (SAMDEN), founded in 2017 and anchored in CHRI, has membership of more than 60 media professionals across South Asia. It seeks to support media workers by helping them work securely, monitoring intimidation and attacks against freedom of expression, and pressing for greater openness and accountability.

In July 2019 CHRI launched the Commonwealth 8.7 Network, which facilitates partnerships between grassroots NGOs that share a common vision to eradicate contemporary forms of slavery in Commonwealth countries. With a membership of approximately 60 NGOs from all five regions, the network serves as a knowledge-sharing platform for country-specific and thematic issues and good practice, and to strengthen collective advocacy.

CHRI has special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council and is accredited to the Commonwealth Secretariat. It is recognised for its expertise by governments, oversight bodies and civil society and is registered as a society in India.

Website: www.humanrightsinitiative.org

CHRI is looking for a Project Associate for a project to document disinformation in the critical initial months of COVID-19 in three countries of South Asia, Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

Job Description:

Responsibilities include developing detailed project plan on the spread of fake news, disinformation, misinformation on hate and discrimination, and migration crisis during the pandemic in Bangladesh, India and Nepal; designing the project’s online repository, and developing a content plan and documentation database; monitoring progress by writing periodic review reports; providing end-to-end support to the project’s management team at CHRI; coordinating with project Research Officers to facilitate smooth documentation; coming up with ideas for written pieces for the online repository; managing publishing of information on the project’s online repository; develop content for the online repository.

Essential Qualifications and Skills:

• Master’s degree or PG Diploma in, social sciences or mass media/journalism 
• High levels of competence in managing online projects
• Proven communication and team management skills
• High multimedia competence, displaying the ability to work with text, video or image formats
• Excellent organisation and time management skills
• Proven ability to articulate lucidly (verbal and writing) in English and Hindi or Bangla and Nepali (for Bangladesh and Nepal)
• Proven ability to prepare clear and concise review reports
• Ability to strategize social media dissemination
• Familiarity with filing Right to Information (RTI) requests

Qualifications:

• Experience of at least 5 years in the fields of human rights / development
• Work experience (minimum of five years) as a reporter or editor in a professional media organization would be to the advantage of the applicant
• Knowledge of key issues around migration, discrimination or disinformation, fake news
• Familiarity with content management systems, SEO, Google Analytics and HTML/CSS
• Experience in conducting research surveys and analysing content

Remuneration will be commensurate with knowledge and experience levels.

Interested candidates should apply with:

• Current CV
• Cover letter
• Three samples of recent writing
• Portfolio of projects managed
• Two references from professionals

The deadline for applications is September 21, 2020. Please send applications to vinu@humanrightsinitiative.org, marking a copy to aditya@humanrightsinitiative.org. As CHRI’s office is not fully functional due to the COVID epidemic, applications sent by post are likely to remain undelivered.

Please use this subject line: Project Associate – Media Project. Incomplete applications will not be considered.