Human Rights and Communication Intern – Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC)

About the NHC

The Netherlands Helsinki Committee is a growing non-governmental organization that promotes human rights, the rule of law and justice in all countries of wider Europe, including Eastern Europe, Western Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asia as well as the European Union. Building on their track record of nearly 40 years, they consider it to be their mission to inspire, engage and support catalysts of change in building just and rightsrespecting societies.

NHC believes that everybody can be a catalyst of change, and they are ready to support them by strengthening their capacities and by amplifying their voices through advocacy and campaigns. Their networks reach out to civil society, governments as well as the justice chain. They are able to mobilise the right peer-to-peer expertise and build bridges to bring about the change they need.

The NHC office is located in heart of The Hague at the vibrant Nutshuis and has an international staff (about 15 people) working across Human Rights Defence & Integrity and Accountability and Rights-Based Justice programmes.

About the role

The Human Rights and Communications Intern will assist the Programme Officers in the team in managing external communication activities of the organisation, specifically, but not limited to, “Catalyst of Change”, and “Rule of Law Training” projects.

The NHC is looking for an intern to join their team for a period of 4-6 months, to really get to know all facets of the organisation. Ideally, there will be a project-based component to this internship, the topic of which can be agreed upon together with your supervisor.

Responsibilities

• Support general communication activities e.g. social media, writing newsletters, designing reports, assisting in organising (online) events, and administrative support.
• Map activities, past and present, of the Catalyst of Change project partners, and create communication outputs around these activities.
• Conduct interviews with past and present participants of the Rule of Law training programme, and write up/showcase success stories from the training;
• Maintain information, write and edit texts on their website based on input of the Communications Manager and programme staff;
• Support internal implementation and development of the communications strategy, including management of content plan for the programme/project;
• Support the development of external networks and communicate with (grassroots) partners and other relevant parties, when needed

Preferred qualifications and skills

• Currently enrolled in or a recent graduate of a Bachelor or Master degree in Journalism, Communications, Political Science, International Relations, Social Sciences, or related degree;
• Excellent social media skills;
• Excellent writing skills (both creatively and academically);
• Visually creative and adapt in using tools such as Canva; (experience with WordPress and InDesign an asset)
• Excellent command of the English language (knowledge of one of the languages of the 5 Catalyst of Change project countries is considered an asset);
• Experience interviewing is an asset
• Demonstrated affinity with civil society work or activism for social change (awareness of recent OSCE and human rights trends and developments an asset);
• An eye for detail and organisational skills;
• Ability to adapt to a fast-paced environment and switch between tasks;
• Self-sufficiency, resourcefulness, initiative taking and hands-on mentality;
• Strong communication skills and inter-cultural sensitivity.

The NHC is an equal opportunities employer and committed to building a culturally diverse staff. They promote diversity and belonging in everything they do and they invite in particular candidates with backgrounds that are currently under-represented in the human rights movement to apply. The internship includes a small stipend of €400/ month, based on a 32 hours/week schedule.

Apply If you are interested in joining the team please send your resume and a short motivation letter(max 500 words) via Smartsheet (please click the Apply Now button). Candidates may apply until (and including) 20 August 2026. They will aim to conduct (online) interviews in the week of 01 September.

The preferred start date is September 15. Non-EU candidates need to have a valid permit to be considered for this role. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Due to the high volume of applications they receive, they are unable to provide individual feedback to candidates that are not shortlisted.