Are you at the beginning of your career in communications and passionate about human rights? Would you like to gain hands-on communications experience in an international human rights organisation, working with colleagues around the world? Then this internship might be for you.
As a Communication Intern, you will be part of our Communications and Fundraising team and contribute to our work to raise awareness of human rights issues, strengthen the visibility of Civil Rights Defenders and the human rights defenders we work with, and engage people to take action.
During the internship, you will have the opportunity to work with different areas of communications. Depending on current priorities and your interests and skills, your tasks may include:
The internship will give you hands-on experience of communications and campaigns in an international human rights organisation. You will also have opportunities to participate in external events, seminars and meetings, as well as internal meetings where you can learn more about our work and the human rights issues we engage in.
We want the internship to be a learning experience. Your tasks will therefore be adapted, where possible, to your skills, interests and development goals. You will have a dedicated supervisor who will support and guide you throughout the internship.
We are looking for someone who:
Most importantly, we are looking for someone curious, eager to learn and motivated to use communication to contribute to the human rights movement.
The internship takes place at our head office in Stockholm from January to June 2027 or in accordance with your education plan. Interns are expected to be on-site at the office in Stockholm, with the possibility to work remotely on occasion. The shortest internship period we consider is ten weeks.
As an organisation, we strive for diversity and see your background, experience and personality as a contribution to the organisation.
Civil Rights Defenders only accepts interns who have an internship as part of their formal education, being during the study period or in direct connection with completed studies. The internship is full-time and unpaid, with the possibility of compensation for travel expenses.
The last day for application is 15 November 2026. Please apply as soon as possible, as we recruit on an ongoing basis.
For more information about the internship, please contact:
Catrin Söderberg, Communication Director: catrin.soderberg@civilrightsdefenders.org
Civil Rights Defenders is a politically and religiously independent international human rights organisation. We defend people’s civil and political rights in some of the world’s most repressive regions. We partner with and support human rights defenders in more than 300 organisations in 50 countries on four continents. Together with our partners, we advance human rights and build the capacity of human rights defenders and organisations. We also act as Sweden’s civil rights watchdog.
Civil Rights Defenders has around 70 staff members working in various functions towards our vision - a world of democratic societies in which we all enjoy our civil and political rights. Our headquarter is located in Stockholm, and we have eight branch offices around the world. Learn more about our work at crd.org.
Civil Rights Defenders is an international human rights organisation, founded in 1982 in Stockholm, Sweden. We defend people’s civil and political rights and empower human rights defenders in Sweden and globally.
All countries need a strong civil society that scrutinizes those in power and presses for positive development. That is why we combine human rights work with efforts to empower local human rights defenders. Together with local partners we monitor the authorities and demand accountability when they violate human rights in law or practice. We take legal action against states, and inform and lobby decision makers to effect change and seek justice.
Local human rights defenders are at the centre of all our work. We draw attention to their situation, and seek to support them with training, resources or expertise to protect the space in which they act and strengthen their work.
Civil Rights Defenders was founded as a part of the Helsinki movement, under the name Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights. In 2009, we decided to change our name into one that better reflects our work and objectives today.
