The Clinic for Human Rights

The Human Rights Clinic in Society was established out of the need to expose students to the various power disparities in society and the resulting impact on human rights. Marginalized and excluded populations (such as women, people with disabilities, crime victims, stateless individuals, foreigners, and prisoners) require more assistance than others in realizing their human rights and accessing the legal system.

The students in the clinic engage in a combination of legal, para-legal, and academic-research activities.

The clinic operates on an individual level by realizing the rights of applicants against state authorities and appealing to relevant judicial bodies. On a community level, the clinic operates by holding meetings with various marginalized populations and their representatives. On a systemic level, the clinic works to change policies where such change is needed by submitting principled petitions, drafting legislative proposals, writing position papers, participating in forums, and collaborating with many human rights organizations in the country.

In the academic course, students examine the law and its ability to serve as a tool for social change through theoretical analysis of human rights theories and fields in Israel and around the world. The seminar discusses various issues in the field of human rights and how different social change agents have worked to promote and protect the human rights of various groups in the country.