FSU law students pursue intensive Spanish studies in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and then represent asylum-seekers through the Refugee Aid Project ("RAP") in San Antonio, Texas.
Art Therapy Department Placements
The Center funds an annual placement in Thailand through the FSU Art Therapy Department. Every summer, two FSU graduate Art Therapy students work at a home outside Bangkok for child victims of sex trafficking and sexual abuse
Student Proposals
On a highly competitive basis, the Center also funds several placements every year for projects proposed by FSU students. Criteria for selection include previous human rights experiences of the students, foreign language capabilities, the impact of the proposed project, and collaborative links to local human rights NGOs in the project country. Application forms for student proposals are available on this webpage. Decisions regarding summer placements are made by March 15th of each spring.
Places FSU Students Have Worked
To date, FSU students have served in a great variety of human rights placements:
Africa Centre (Mtubatuba, South Africa): FSU Social Work students have done HIV/AIDS research and counseling work at this South African university/community center.
Albanian Human Rights Group (Tirana, Albania): FSU Political Science students have worked on anti-human trafficking and other projects with this women's non-governmental organization.
Asian Human Rights Commission (Hong Kong): FSU graduate students in International Affairs have worked on behalf of asylum seekers in Hong Kong and in refugee camps throughout Southeast Asia.
Casa Alianza (Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras): FSU students from a variety of disciplines have worked throughout Central America caring for homeless children and performing advocacy on their behalf.
Center for the Protection of Children (Bangkok, Thailand): FSU Art Therapy students have worked with Thai children who have been victims of human trafficking or sexual abuse. Students have conducted therapy sessions by utilizing different art activities with the children.
Center of Welcome for Refugees (Valencia, Spain): FSU Social Work students have done counseling and clinical field work with asylum seekers from Eastern Europe and North Africa at this Spanish refugee center.
Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking ("CAST") (Los Angeles, California): FSU Law students have worked with CAST to assist persons trafficked for forced labor or sexual exploitation in California.
Cross Cultural Solutions - FSU students from a variety of departments and colleges have worked on human rights projects in Peru, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Cross Cultural Solutions is a non-profit organization with no political or religious affiliations that sponsors student placements around the world.
Fair Labor Association (Washington, DC): FSU Law students have done research and policy work on issues involving international human rights and labor law.
Florida Catholic Conference Farmworker Project: FSU Law students have worked on behalf of immigrant laborers in farmworker camps throughout Florida.
Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (Miami, Florida): FSU Law students have worked on behalf of detained asylum seekers, victims of human trafficking, and battered immigrant women.
Free The Children (Calcutta, India): FSU International Affairs students have worked with children subjected to labor abuses and involuntary servitude.
Globe Center/Positive East (London, England): FSU Social Work students have served at this center that provides support for refugees and those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Gulf Coast Torture Treatment Center (Clearwater, Florida): FSU Social Work students have served refugee survivors of torture at this multi-service center and FSU Communications students have worked to create a film archive for the Center's torture survivors.
International Bar Association (London, England): FSU Law and graduate students have served with the Human Rights Section of the IBA, researching country conditions in nations where the rule of law is at risk.
International Criminal Tribunal for the ex-Yugoslavia (The Hague, Netherlands): FSU Law students have served on this international tribunal that prosecutes war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the genocide that was committed during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s.
International Criminal Tribunal for Sierra Leone: An FSU Law student interned for the new international tribunal established to prosecute human rights atrocities committed in this West African country in the last decade.
International Monitor Institute (Los Angeles, California): FSU Film and Communication students have worked on human rights film projects, including preparation of film and video footage for use as evidence in international war crimes tribunals.
International Organization for Adolescents ("IOFA") (New York, NY): FSU International Affairs students performed research work in human trafficking, and traveled to Latvia on behalf of IOFA to work with local NGOs there.
ISIS-Women's International Cross Cultural Exchange (Kampala, Uganda): FSU International Affairs students have done work with this leading African women's NGO on issues regarding gender-based violence, war-time rape, and child soldiers,
Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture (Chicago, Illinois): FSU graduate Social Work students have done clinical work with torture victims from around the world who seek treatment at this internationally recognized center.
Latin American Music Therapy Project (Carolina, Puerto Rico): FSU Music Therapy and Counseling Psychology students designed and implemented a music therapy program for students with disabilities who had not received adequate educational resources.
Lebanese Council to Resist Violence Against Women (Beirut, Lebanon): Under the auspices of this women's human rights group, FSU Arabic Language students have done hands-on work with victims of domestic violence in Lebanon and have provided journalistic support on policy issues.
Lighthouse West (London, England): FSU Social Work students have provided services to persons with HIV and AIDS.
National Health System (London, England): FSU Social Work Students have helped this organization with clients who experience mental disorders.
Organization of the Mayan People in Exile (West Palm Beach, Florida): FSU Law students have worked on behalf of indigenous Mayan survivors of the genocide in Guatemala.
Podrugi Crisis Center (Almaty, Kazakhstan): FSU International Affairs students have worked with this women's shelter, assisting with both victim care and policy work regarding human trafficking in Central Asia.
Ray of Hope (Katmandu, Nepal): FSU Law students have done research and policy work for this leading NGO in Nepal that was founded to rescue and support young women victimized by sex trafficking.
Refuge House (Tallahassee, Florida): FSU students from a variety of disciplines have worked with victims of domestic violence and battered immigrant women at this Tallahassee women's shelter.
UNICEF (Panama City, Panama): FSU Political Science students have served this U.N. organization researching economic rights in Latin America.
United Nations Development Program (Sudan): FSU Law students have worked with the UNDP Rule of Law Mission in Southern Sudan to assess the effects of the genocide there and to facilitate current efforts to integrate tribal and constitutional law.
Victims' and Survivors' Trust ("VAST") (Belfast, Northern Ireland): A graduate student in the FSU Religious Studies Department helped VAST in its mission to promote healing and reconciliation among Catholics and Protestants victimized by the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.
Woman's Trust (London, England): FSU Social Work Students have helped this organization serve victims of domestic violence.
Yanamilla Maximum Security Penal Facility (Ayacucho, Peru): An FSU International Affairs student worked with an NGO in Peru to provide assistance to imprisoned women and their children who have been caught between the government, international anti-drug pressure, drug traffickers, and an overwhelming cycle of poverty.
