Internship for international human rights certificate class - Term Paper Example

While browsing the internet for NGOs in the Netherlands, I found Women on Waves in Amsterdam. They were looking for women who speak Arabic, to facilitate their work with Arabic-speaking women. I made myself available. As a woman from Saudi Arabia, I not only speak Arabic but I understand the practical realities of living in a country where abortion is a risky matter, due to criminalization. In the course of my current studies, I have taken various courses in women’s empowerment. I felt compelled to help and I saw this as an opportunity to bridge not only a language barrier but a cultural one.

Although I have helped out in an orphanage and assisted Women Without Borders, I hoped that Women on Waves would give me a deeper understanding of NGO contributions to Human Rights, NGO structure and leadership and patterns of functioning, especially in an international context. I felt this was the right setting for me, at this stage in my training and, as it turned out, it was. It is my plan to become a Human Rights Activist, and I feel this was a critical experience in my preparation. I was there for 4 weeks.

I went twice a week, and worked once from home. I had assignments each week. For example, one week I was doing translation on the website from English to Arabic. I also translated reports and documents that they gave me. Another week, I did field work on the internet. I opened accounts and participated on Arabic forums, in order to see and discuss how people are accessing abortion in countries where it is illegal, in the Arab world. In various cases, I advised women to come to the Women on Waves website for information and help.

I disbursed information on how to take the abortion pills correctly and safely. I became deeply involved in this cause for women’s empowerment and human rights. Sometimes I would notice that someone had put their contact information on the forums so they can sell abortion pills online. In such cases, I would contact them to see if they are probably sincere or not. Unfortunately, there are people who advertise their services but do not actually deliver any help at all. In response, Women on Waves website carries the following warning: Do not buy any pills from the website "Abortion-pill-online.

com" or "mifepristone-misoprostol.com" or "mifepristone-online.com". The medicines are not Mifepristone, Mifegyne or RU 486 as they claim. Women on Waves ordered and analysed them and the medicines that were sent to us did not contain the active ingredient Mifepristone!! Do not order from the website "drugdelivery.ca" or "cytoteconline.com" either, the package never arrives!!! (Women on Waves) Based on my internet fieldwork, I wrote a summary report to my employers about the findings. This report was based on multiple forums in which I participated in the course of my internship duties.

Another week I researched different types of NGO's in the Middle East, mostly dealing with women. I did careful research on these NGO's and made a list and a summary of all the NGO's. By the end of the week, I wrote a report about them, just in case Women on Waves might need to contact someone in the Middle East to connect them to the culture and to available resources, in their efforts to increase women’