Student Internship Spotlight: Sachal Jacob

Sachal Jacob is a second year Master of Human Rights student focusing on Peacekeeping and Security. This summer, he worked in Washington D.C. as an intern at the Religious Freedom Institute. His internship was generously funded by a fellowship from the Human Rights Program.

Human Rights Program (HRP): Tell us about where you interned this summer and what you worked on while you were there.

Sachal Jacob (SJ): I interned at the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) this summer. During my time there I worked primarily on researching the state of Religious Freedom in Pakistan and Bangladesh as part of the South and Southeast Asia action team. We looked at indicators such as laws which restricted religious freedom/freedom of expression, treatment of minorities, civil society space, etc to determine the level of religious freedom in each context.

HRP: What were a few major takeaways or lessons that you learned this summer through your internship?

SJ: One major takeaway was that religious freedom is often the first bulwark in the protection of freedom of expression in states, and it is often the first one that is restricted. One thing I learned about myself in particular through the work is that I do have the ability to maintain objectivity, even when working on complex and nuanced issues. Despite not being religious myself, I was able to see the value of religion to the individual and connect the importance of religious freedom to human rights more broadly.

HRP: How was the internship related to your course of study, and how do you think it will help you in your career?

SJ: I think the experience added a practical nuance to my study of human rights. Working at an NGO like RFI really let me observe and analyze the work that goes into advocacy, especially with a narrower focus. RFI was also very engaged with government advocacy in the time I was there, actively participating and supporting side-events in the first ever State Department Ministerial on International Religious Freedom. Supporting the logistics of this event really put into perspective the diversity and wealth of actors that can be worked alongside in the human rights field. It also drove me to reflect on the fact that although too often governments are irresponsible human rights actors, it is still critical for organizations to leverage political interests in human rights advocacy; it can be the key to further human rights in a particular state.
 

*Responses have been edited for length and clarity.