Chayes Fellow Lindsay Henson (JD ’14), spending the summer with the Human Rights Law Network, India

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“This summer, I have been working with the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) in New Delhi, India. Some of my work has been on urban housing rights of slum-dwellers who are forcibly evicted from their homes by the government. Over the past 10 years, major cities throughout India have been engaging in massive demolition drives of slums in the name of development and modernization. As a result, tens of thousands of families who have been residing in these slum areas have been left homeless. These forced evictions and demolitions are often done in violation of both domestic and international human rights law. The Constitution of India protects the right to life which has been interpreted by the courts to include the right to shelter. To that end, local governments have established rehabilitation policies which provide that if an individual slum-dweller meets certain criteria, the government is supposed to provide them with alternative housing. However, these demolitions are often done without following due process and victims are not provided with proper rehabilitation.

During my time with HRLN, I’ve gotten to work on several urban housing rights cases that have been filed over the past few years. Ideally, we try to prevent demolitions from happening by petitioning the court for a stay order on the demolition until a proper survey can be conducted to determine which residents are eligible for rehabilitation. However, if the demolition has already occurred, then we work to get proper rehabilitation and compensation for residents as needed. Sadly, these cases can last for months and even years as people wait to be rehabilitated by the government. Often they have no other choice but to pick up the pieces of their demolished home and rebuild either in the same spot or elsewhere.

Lindsay Henson, HRLN, New Delhi

For example, in January 2009, the government arrived on site with no prior notice, gave residents 30 minutes to remove their belongings, and demolished over 200 homes. The residents filed a public grievance shortly after the demolition, but nothing came of the various hearings. HRLN filed a petition in the Delhi High Court in late 2011 seeking proper rehabilitation for eligible victims. In June 2012, we received word over the weekend that the government was threatening to again demolish the temporary structures that had been built after the 2009 demolition on Monday morning. When I asked what I could do to help, my supervisor responded with “you any good at standing in front of bulldozers?”  Only he wasn’t kidding. So first thing Monday morning, I headed to the slum waiting for the bulldozers to arrive. While I was on site, my supervisor was at the Delhi High Court filing an urgent petition. Thankfully, he was able to get a temporary stay order preventing the government from any further demolition activity until the next hearing. It is a small step to be sure, but an incredible thing to be a part of.“

Chayes Fellow Lillian Langford (JD’ 13), working in the Kyrgyz Republic with the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia

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Chayes Fellow Lillian Langford with EBL lawyers

“I’m now in the middle of about a month of field visits to remote areas to interview the project’s lawyers and clients for a final report …The stories of our clients are often tragic, but the lawyers seem to be doing great work for people who otherwise would have no access to legal aid.”

Lillian is working this summer with Equal Before the Law: Access to Justice in Central Asia, a a program designed to increase access to justice for vulnerable populations, in particular for rural women, at-risk children and persons with disabilities.

“What strikes me most, hearing the stories and reactions of the clients we have met in our first week of field visits, is how astonished many of them were when they realized that someone was able and willing to help them with their problems.”

Lillian and her fellow interns are blogging about their experiences on the Equal Before the Law web site; please click here to read Lillian’s posts.

Frédérique Couture-Carrier (JD ’14), 2012 Chayes Fellow, on her work with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, France

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“My internship with the Council of Europe’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights this summer is absolutely marvelous, and my supervisor, coworkers, and fellow interns are from all over the world, speak multiple languages, and are wonderful to work with. I am learning a great deal about international human rights law and how countries execute (or not) the European Court of Human Rights’ judgments. I spend most of my time writing, editing, and translating reports, but I’ve also been able to sit in on both the Committee of Ministers’ and the Parliamentary Assembly’s sessions this summer. While the reports I work on are entirely based on facts and law, it has been unbelievable to see how the different states interact with one another at the sessions and how political the discussions become.”

Lauren Herman (JD ’13), 2012 Chayes Fellow, on her work with Adalah–The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel

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“I just got back from a day in court where my organization was defending two cases. The first was for a group of Druze sheikhs who were indicted for traveling to Syria and the second was for the Arab member of the Knesset who helped organize the trip for them (and was claiming parliamentary immunity). This is the third case so far this summer where Adalah has represented members of parliament; it’s been really interesting. Above is a picture of Jerusalem from ourfirst trip to the Supreme Court last month.”

Meet the 2012 Chayes Fellows

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Twenty-six Harvard Law School students were awarded the 2012 Chayes International Public Service Fellowship this summer. They are working  abroad in Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Egypt, France, Hungary, India, Israel, the Kyrgyz Republic, Morocco, the Netherlands, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, and Thailand, as well as in New York City and Washington, D.C.  Please click here to read brief biographies and descriptions of their summer placements submitted by the students.