National Security and Human Rights Fellow – addressing UK’s ‘Prevent’ programme
Application deadline: 10 June 2022, 12:00pm
Compensation: London Living Wage, 37.5 hours/week
Location: Remote, with opportunities to work from London office
Length of contract: 12 months, beginning in summer 2022
Rights and Security International (RSI) is seeking a recent graduate to carry out a one-year paid fellowship project on the impact of the UK’s ‘Prevent’ counter-extremism programme on universities and their students, especially students from British Muslim backgrounds. This is an exciting opportunity to carry out fresh research, train others on human rights, and create tools for UK students and universities to help them ensure Prevent is not used in ways that cause harm.
The successful candidate will bring in-depth knowledge and/or lived experience of the impact of Prevent on a range of people and communities in the UK – especially British Muslims, who have historically been disproportionately affected by Prevent. The successful candidate will also have prior experience studying or promoting human rights, and an ability to collaborate successfully with UK students from a range of backgrounds.
We are offering this fellowship with the generous support of the Aziz Foundation.
**The successful candidate must have a right to work in the UK.**
Person specification:
RSI is looking for candidates who have:
- Completed a post-graduate degree in law, human rights, peace and conflict studies or another relevant field within approximately the last three years
- A detailed understanding of British Muslim community life and/or British Muslim university student life
- Completed coursework or research on human rights, racial justice, gender rights or similar topics
- Experience carrying out research and delivering presentations
- Exceptionally strong writing and communication skills, as demonstrated by prior work experience or university projects
- A high degree of motivation and an ability to work in a self-directed manner
- A strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace
Responsibilities:
- Conduct outreach to identify the most significant human rights problems related to Prevent that affect students, student societies and universities
- Determine what kinds of tools students, student societies and universities believe would be most useful in defending human rights regarding Prevent
- Develop these tools together with other RSI team members, and deliver related trainings to students and others
Application details: To apply for this fellowship, please send the following material to info@rightsandsecurity.org:
- Your CV.
- A detailed cover letter (no more than two pages) which describes how you fulfil the person specification. You must include a cover letter to be considered for the role.
RSI strives to be diverse, equitable and inclusive. We treat all staff and interns like team members and encourage everyone to bring their full selves to work. We welcome applications from candidates from groups that have historically been underrepresented in the human rights, legal or policy fields, and/or who are from communities that have been directly impacted by the issues we address in our work. We also welcome applications from people who are re-entering the workforce after time away. All applications are considered on an equal-opportunity basis.
We offer flexible working hours.
About us
Rights & Security International (RSI) stops human rights abuses committed in the name of national security. We challenge religious, racial and gender bias in national security policies and programmes, promote justice and transparency and ensure that voices of communities facing discrimination are heard.
RSI was founded as the Britain & Ireland Human Rights Project in 1990 and was later known as British-Irish Rights Watch; we have over 30 years’ experience of working inclusively across communities in Northern Ireland (NI), including with people directly impacted by politically motivated violence during the height of the ‘Troubles’. Tragically, following the 9/11 attacks, many of the counter-terrorism-related human rights abuses that have historically impacted equality and justice in NI, such as religious and racial biases and a lack of accountability for harms, have severely affected other communities in the UK, such as people from a range of Muslim backgrounds. RSI expanded its operations in response, recently becoming a global organisation but still focusing strongly on upholding rights in the UK. We are a small, expert organisation with a large impact.
RSI supports affected communities by working at a grassroots level to understand their lived experience and local context. We share knowledge through educational outreach, work with our partners to develop proposals for change and ultimately carry out litigation and other advocacy to achieve improved rights protections. Our emphasis on establishing the facts first, and amplifying the voices of impacted people, creates a basis for valuable dialogues about the real-world impact of security laws and tactics.
We place anti-racist and gender justice approaches at the heart of our work on national security issues in the UK. We contribute our expert human rights skills and experience, and use our national and international influence, to bridge the gap between lived experience and high-level policy decisions.
You can learn more about us at www.rightsandsecurity.org.
By submitting your application, you consent to our processing and retention of your personal data to the extent, and for the time period, necessary to consider the application. We will keep your application on file for no more than six months.
