This past summer as a result of receiving the Gerry Gall Global Community Grant, I was privileged to be able to accept the opportunity to undertake two internships. The first was with the Canadian Lawyers Abroad in Kenya, and the other was with the South Sudan Law Reform Review Commission.
Through the Canadian Lawyers Abroad, I was working with the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), in the Transformative Justice Department. The projects I was able to work on covered a broad array of issues facing Kenyan society today. One of the tasks I was assigned to was the formation of FIDA's policy stance on the establishment of the International Criminal Division (ICD) of the High Court of Kenya. As a result of the post-election violence which swept the country following the 2007/2008 elections, many crimes have been left unaddressed. The vision for the ICD is therefore to address crimes of this nature. Although there are many issues with the current proposed approach to the court and the questionable political will, it was FIDA's stance that it may be a step in the right direction to achieving justice for victims. My role in this process involved writing a report sent to the Chief Justice of Kenya discussing FIDA's concerns and recommendations for the establishment of the ICD. Another primary project I worked on was regarding the recent release of the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission's (TJRC) Report on violence and human rights abuses suffered by Kenyans from the end of British rule until the 2007/2008 post-election violence. FIDA was part of a coalition of five organizations working to address the issues of initiating the recommendations proposed and the lack of political will in tabling the report to begin the implementation stage in parliament. There were various other projects I worked on and assisted with, including the drafting of a Maternal and Child Health Bill, going on community outreaches to discuss the constitutional rights of citizens in public forums and drafting of various policy statements for parliament, to name a few.
In addition to my time at FIDA, I was also given the incredible opportunity to worth with the South Sudan Law Reform Review Commission. My internship consisted of writing a report on the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, highlighting areas of weakness and making recommendations as South Sudan develops the Official Constitution. The scope of my research and report were in the areas of governance, human rights and fundamental freedoms, economic and resource issues as well as political and democratic principles. The findings and recommendations are to be presented to the National Constitutional Review Commission, the Ministry of Justice and to Parliament. This was a fascinating internship and provided remarkable insight into the formation of a country recently emerged from decades of war, still facing eternal conflict. I was able to travel to South Sudan with the Canadian embassy and witnessing the struggles faced every day in maintaining the rule of law in a volatile environment is something I will always remember.
This summer was truly extraordinary and I am very grateful to have had the honour of receiving the Gerry Gall Community Grant to undertake this work, without which, it would not have been possible. I look forward to what the future holds and am eager to continue working in these areas, particularly those experiencing conflict.
Gerald L. Gall Global Community Service Grant: The Faculty of Law Global Community Service grant was renamed the Gerald L. Gall Global Community Service grant in memory of Professor Gall. The purpose of these awards is to provide financial assistance to students who wish to become involved in projects and activities that serve the larger community, either in Canada or abroad. First year and upper year students are eligible for these awards. The award is designed to permit students to pursue these activities during the summer months between their law studies at the Faculty of Law.