Now that I’ve had more time to adjust to my internship with the IRC, I’ve been able to spot some structural inequalities in my community. This week, I covered one of our tables in an effort to spread the word about human trafficking in partnership with the Legal Aid Foundation of Tallahassee. While tabling, I noticed how hard it is for people to gain access to affordable legal services and how that lack of access might impact victims in trafficking situations. The amount of people who attended the legal aid clinic was a big indicator of the need for pro-bono legal services in Tallahassee. I learned that this kind of partnership is important because victims of trafficking are very likely to need an attorney to leave their current situation, and being part of this effort felt like I was helping to combat that kind of legal inequality in the community.
Given my experience this summer and my interests in international affairs, I’ve been thinking of shaping my capstone project around the idea of private interests within a public field. Working with the IRC has given me some of the NGO perspective, while also making me consider other factors such as the government, private enterprise, and public policy. I would like to focus on the efforts done by NGOs- operating in a public field along with the impact they have in the creation of policy.
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