13 November 2015

Internship in Sierre Leone/Denmark with DIGNITY

DIGNITY - Danish Institute Against Torture is a self-governing institution independent of party politics, and it is the biggest center of its kind in the world. DIGNITY is organized in three broad themes: Rehabilitation, Detention and Urban Violence. In all three areas we undertake interventions and we do research. DIGNITY works in Denmark as well as the Global South.


DIGNITY – Danish Institute Against Torture in collaboration with Prison Watch Sierra Leone invite immediate applications for an internship (Spring 2016).

We seek a solid, initiative-rich student engaged in a relevant social science Masters programme (e.g. Africa studies, global refugee studies, social work, public health, anthropology, psychology etc.)

We expect that up to three months of the internship would be on location in Freetown, Sierra Leone where you would be part of the Prison Watch team. The rest of the internship would be based at DIGNITY in Copenhagen where you would have the opportunity to apply theory to praxis within a vibrant, trans-disciplinary milieu.

Assignments would include supporting and sparring with the PWSL team on:

  • Project identification development
  • Refinement of data collection and prison monitoring tools
  • Data analysis and write up (for publications and advocacy)
  • Refinement of advocacy / public relations / communication strategies
  • Organizational branding (e.g. via development of a Facebook page)

Apart from a background in social science we expect you will have a strong interest in research methods, including quantitative analysis, and basic skills in survey design. You are practical and intuitive and quick to adapt to new settings and challenging circumstances. You are a team player with the aptitude to build the skills of your fellow team members. Previous hands on knowledge of Africa would be an advantage.

About Prison Watch Sierra Leone

Prison Watch Sierra Leone (PW-SL) is a non–profit and non–political Sierra Leonean human rights NGO formed in 1996 to serve as a focal point relating to all issues of detainees/prisoners and of detention in the country. Its aim is to monitor human rights violations and abuse in and out of places of detention throughout the country. Prison Watch-Sierra Leone is managed by a small team of staff and a larger group of monitors inspired by their passionate conviction that people in places of detention have rights, too, and that these rights are protected by national and international mechanisms. They work together for the protection and promotion of these rights.

For information about DIGNITY see www.dignityinstitute.org

For more information about the internship contact Andrew M. Jefferson amj@dignityinstitute.dk