Emily Ramsden

Thanks to the Oxford Global Justice Internship Programme, I had the privilege of working as an intern for Women’s Link Worldwide in Bogotá, Colombia for six months in 2019. Women’s Link is an international non-profit organisation that uses strategic litigation to promote social change that advances the human rights of women and girls, especially those facing multiple inequalities. 

 

Most of my work contributed to projects on transitional justice in Colombia. 

 

In 2016 the Colombian government signed an historic peace agreement with the FARC-EP, the largest left-wing guerrilla group involved in the almost 60-year internal armed conflict in Colombia. As a result, Colombia is in the course of implementing a peace process, which includes a transitional justice package known as the Integral System for Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition (SVJRNR). This includes institutions such as a truth commission, a unit for the search for missing persons, and a war-crimes tribunal – the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP). The JEP has come under attack from a number of influential political groups.  

 

Living in Colombia at such a volatile political time and working for an organisation so embedded in the peace process meant that I learnt a great deal about the history of the internal armed conflict and the transitional justice model now being implemented. As an intern, I helped to prepare reports for submission to the truth commission and researched international standards to be used in cases brought before the JEP and Constitutional Court. Through this I became aware of the prevalence of reproductive rights violations committed during the armed conflict. 

 

I also contributed to projects related to the humanitarian and migrant crises in Venezuela.

 

In response to the political and economic unrest in Venezuela, over four million people have left the country. Those still living in Venezuela face violence, insecurity and shortages of food, medicine and essential services. 

 

As an intern at Women’s Link, I contributed to projects advocating for the rights of Venezuelan women. These were mainly focused on securing healthcare for pregnant and other vulnerable women, both those still living in Venezuela and migrant Venezuelan women living in host countries. 

 

Additionally, I worked on projects aimed at securing reproductive rights in Kenya.

 

In 2017 violence broke out in Kenya following the presidential elections and allegations that the electoral system had been hacked and manipulated. The violence involved grave human rights violations by members of the police who beat up and killed many people during protests and house-to-house operations. Thousands of women and girls are estimated to have been sexually assaulted by policemen or members of the Kenyan military. Most survivors have not received any post-trauma medical or psychological care.

 

I was tasked with researching the standards that exist in international law on provision of medical services in response to sexual violence. I put together a presentation for Women’s Link lawyers working on projects in East Africa to suggest how these international legal standards might be used in litigation. 

 

I would like to thank everybody involved in the sponsoring and management of the Oxford Global Justice Internship Programme for making my project possible. My time in Colombia with Women’s Link Worldwide has made me incredibly motivated to continue working in international human rights law and has provided me with invaluable knowledge, research skills and professional resources. I am extremely grateful to the Oxford Global Justice Internship Programme and hope that other students will continue to make the most of such a fantastic opportunity.

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