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Human Rights Jobs in the Netherlands

International Criminal Court (ICC)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization which plays an important role pursuing international justice and accountability for crimes. The ICC is responsible for the prosecution of individuals who are deemed to have committed international crimes against humanity, as well as genocide and war crimes. The ICC is located in The Hague in the Netherlands. and frequently publishes new vacancies, as well as internships and visiting professional opportunities.

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (UN-ICTY)

The ICTY is a court of law created by the United Nations to deal with the war crimes committed during the Balkan War in the 1990’s. The main mission of the ICTY is to hold individuals that committed war crimes, genocide, rape and torture accountable for their actions and it has found more than 160 people guilty of these kinds of crimes against humanity. The ICTY frequently publishes vacancies, both for professional level job positions as well as internships and is particularly interesting for individuals, who want to work in international criminal law, humanitarian law and social sciences.

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

The International Court of Justice is the primary court of the UN with its headquarters in The Hague in the Netherlands. The ICJ publishes new vacancies all year round, many of which are for legal assistants or translators. Knowledge of Dutch is not necessary, but fluency in either English or French and working knowledge of the other language is often required.


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Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is located in Leidschendam in the Netherlands and it was created to hold trials for the attack in Lebanon in 2005 where 22 people were murdered. There are many career opportunities at the STL, mainly in the field of international criminal law, humanitarian law, and social sciences. The working languages of this tribunal are French, English and Arabic, but in some cases working knowledge of Dutch is required.

Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE)

CARE is an international humanitarian agency committed to the delivery of emergency relief as well as long-term development projects. Its main goal is to eradicate global poverty, not only by offering immediate assistance in the way of money, but also by improving the social status and capacities of vulnerable minority groups around the world. CARE Netherlands currently consists of 35 full-time staff members and it occasionally publishes vacancies for its Dutch office.

PAX

PAX is one of the bigger civil society organization in the Netherlands and is dedicated to global peace, justice and reconciliation. PAX believes that they can build bridges between groups in conflict, and they do this by supporting local peace initiatives and activists aiming for peace. In addition, they campaign for worldwide peace. Some examples of past campaigns are the campaign for a national and global ban on nuclear weapons and the campaign against cluster munitions. PAX vacancies are mainly open for people who are fluent in Dutch, but there are occasionally English speaking job positions as well.

Rutgers

Rutgers is an international center of Expertise in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights with its headquarters in the Netherlands. The mission of Rutgers is to improve the sexual and reproductive health world-wide. Additionally, it is also dedicated to the acceptance of gender equality and sexual rights. The staff members of Rutgers, of which there are around 90 currently, work as technical advisors, researchers and advocates.

VluchtelingenWerk

VluchtelingenWerk is the main non-governmental organization protecting the rights of asylum seekers and refugees, by assisting them during the asylum procedure and helping them to find their place in Dutch society. In addition, the organization campaigns for the acceptance of refugees and for a more humane refugee policy. The organization has more than 13.000 volunteers, as well as around 600 employees in all regions of the Netherlands. VluchtelingenWerk often publishes new vacancies, and almost all job positions require knowledge of the Dutch language.

The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration (THP)

The Hague Process of Refugees and Migration is a non-profit organization dedicated to bring the different Dutch stakeholders together to improve the migration and integration of refugees and other migrants. The organization performs research, gives policy recommendations and advocates for the rights of refugees and migrants. THP is always interested in talented interns, which they take on a rolling basis.

UNICEF

UNICEF is a UN programme implemented by the United Nations Economic and Social Council dedicated to the rights of children worldwide. UNICEF provides humanitarian assistance and emergency relief, assists children and mothers in developing countries and reports on the human rights violations of children.

If you want to work for the international programme UNICEF, you have to apply via the UN system. UNICEF however also has national branches in almost every country, and vacancies for these offices are often published on the national UNICEF website.

Prakken d’Oliveira Human Rights Lawyers

Prakken d’Oliveira Human Rights Lawyers is a Dutch law firm situated in Amsterdam and its main fields of interests are human rights law, migration law and criminal law. The firm is known for the court cases that it takes on, it was Prakken d’Oliveira lawyers who represented the victims of the genocide in Srebenica against the Dutch state and it was also involved in the case against Geert Wilders, who had to come before court for discriminatory statements he had made during one of his rallies. In order to work for this lawyer firm you must be fluent in the Dutch language and have knowledge of Dutch procedural law. The firm occasionally posts job vacancies, and is currently looking for a legal secretary for its section that specializes in international law. It is also possible to follow an internship or traineeship.

Terre des Hommes

Terre des Hommes is an organization with the mission to prevent child exploitation. The organization offers education to children to improve their future and it furthermore protects and removes children from exploitative situations. Terre des Hommes Netherlands is mainly active in Asia and has a regional office in Cambodia. Knowledge of Dutch is not required in order to work for Terre des Hommes.

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization which focuses on human rights and creates awareness for human rights violations in almost every country. It is one of the oldest human rights organizations and has over 7 million members world-wide. Amnesty International has a Dutch office located in Amsterdam, which counts around 90 salaried employees and 70 volunteers. In addition, it has countless of regional groups which are often maintained by volunteers. Amnesty International publishes vacancies quite frequently, both for its headquarters and for its regional and local offices.

War Child

War Child is a non-governmental organization comprised of regional War Child organizations, and the Dutch organization is currently the largest War Child Office. The mission of War Child is to help children who have suffered through war, and to empower them so that they can improve their future and those of people around them. Working at War Child can be both in the field, and in the Dutch office. War Child is also regularly in need of interns and volunteers.

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Human Rights Careers

Human Rights Careers (HRC) provides information about online courses, jobs, paid internships, masters degrees, scholarships and other opportunities in the human rights sector and related areas.