October 22, 2009

Ateneo Human Rights Internship Program Forms Justice Seekers

“What is the role of lawyers?” This was the question posed by Attorney Carlos Medina Jr., Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) executive director, to law students at the introductory session of the 2009 Semestral Break Internship Program on 22 October 2009 in Makati City. Supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, this project immerses students in different poor sectors in order to expose them to the plight of these communities. This semestral break, the AHRC is sending 20 interns to live with the Mangyans of Mindoro from 29 October – 3 November 2009. For one week, they will experience what it means to be among the “poorest of the poor.”

The basic orientation seminar is facilitated by former interns to give the new batch the benefit of their experiences. It has sessions on different human rights subjects, with an emphasis on the issues facing the Mangyan community. The AHRC internship program aims to combat helplessness by empowering the poor to help themselves. It teaches that the solution to lack of access to justice is not just legal aid but more importantly, education. Atty. Medina hopes that by completing the internship program, students will realize that “the lawyer is a justice seeker.”

The internship program is the flagship project of the AHRC. Started in 1987, it continues to evolve out of the experiences and feedback of its interns. Several projects of the Center have arisen from it such as its work on women and children’s rights. There are now over 700 interns, and the program is replicated in other law schools around the country.

Read more on the interns’ experiences in the compilation: Remembering Still: Interns’ Reflections on Alternative Lawyering in the Philippines.