Women's Rights Division Intern

Women’s Rights Division Intern

Application Deadline: June 30, 2025

The Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking graduate or undergraduate students for an internship based in an HRW office in New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Silicon Valley. Ideally, the candidate will be available early September 2025 until the end of November 2025, for 20 hours a week (days and hours are flexible, as is the starting date).

The intern will work closely with staff in the Women’s Rights Division, assisting with work on women’s rights violations in the United States pertaining to fossil fuels, toxic chemicals, and reproductive rights. The intern will build skills in research methodology and advocacy in relation to these rights issues, including substantive knowledge and legal analysis. The intern will gain experience working with an international non-profit organization.

Interns also have opportunities to attend lectures, trainings, professional development workshops, and/or special events relating to human rights, as well as to network with other HRW interns, volunteers, and employees. As an HRW intern, students will take skills acquired in school and apply them in a professional setting.

Responsibilities: The intern’s responsibilities may include the following:

• Conducting desk research related to fossil fuels, toxic chemicals, reproductive rights, and linked women’s reproductive rights issues in the US;
• Gaining familiarity with international human rights law and standards on violence against women and girls, discrimination, inequality, and poverty, the right to health and the right to a healthy environment;
• Building knowledge and conducting analysis on relevant federal and state laws and policies;
• Supporting in the drafting of sections of research reports, blogs, and background briefings;
• Supporting advocacy planning and coalition work at the intersection of reproductive rights and environmental justice;
• Participating in meetings with partners, and attending relevant events;
• Monitoring media stories on environmental violence and reproductive health harms; and
• Gaining familiarity with work of other divisions including other thematic or regional research, fundraising, advocacy, communications, operations, etc.

Additional opportunities:

• Direct exposure to the workings of a large, international human rights organization;
• Induction training on the internal working of HRW;
• Access to HRW materials and publications;
• Attending select in-house events such as speaker series events and other events organized within the organization for interns and other staff; and 
• Attending internal staff meetings, HRW events, and external meetings and relevant events.

Qualifications: 

• Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited, degree-granting undergraduate (preferably at the senior level) or graduate program or equivalent for the duration of the internship;
• A demonstrated passion for or strong interest in human rights, particularly in the intersections of climate change, fossil fuels, toxic chemicals, reproductive rights, and women’s rights is required;
• Strong organizational skills, a proactive approach to projects, and reliability are required;
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills are required;
• Knowledge of or a demonstrated commitment to women’s rights is highly desirable;
• Fluency in English is required, and fluency in Spanish is desirable; and
• Computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite, internet applications) are essential.

Applicants who are offered an internship must posses valid work authorization in the United States for the duration of the internship.

Compensation: Internship compensation varies by jurisdiction based on local laws and HRW policy. Interns in the US will be paid an hourly wage of USD 17.00 per hour. Human Rights Watch offers interns in the US twenty (20) days of vacation prorated per year pursuant to the schedule and length of internship.

Students may be able to arrange academic credit, as Human Rights Watch internships often offer direct exposure to the workings of an international human rights organization, close supervision by HRW staff, and interaction with other US and international organizations. Students should check with their individual academic institutions for requirements.

How to Apply: Please apply immediately by visiting our online job portal at: https://careers.hrw.org and attaching a CV/resume, letter of interest/cover letter, and a brief writing sample. No calls or email inquiries, please. Only complete applications will be reviewed. Due to the large number of applications only shortlisted candidates will be contacted further.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your application submission, please email internships@hrw.org. Due to the large response, application submissions via email will not be accepted and inquiries regarding the status of applications will go unanswered.

Human Rights Watch is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Human Rights Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Our employees include people who are parents and nonparents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide span of socio-economic backgrounds and perspectives on the world. Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer.

Human Rights Watch is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive and timely reporting, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in changing the human rights-related policies and practices of influential governments and international institutions.