Fakhruddin G Ebrahim Fellowship in Pakistan

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has instituted a fellowship in memory of the late Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim (1928–2020), an eminent jurist and founding member of the organisation.

Sponsored by the Ebrahim family, the fellowship is an annual competitive grant awarded to human rights defenders and practitioners to support the development of an independent project aligned with HRCP’s vision and mission.

Theme: This year’s fellowship will support the production of an investigative feature on the human rights implications of human smuggling from Pakistan overseas, given that irregular migrants are disproportionately vulnerable to discrimination and exploitation even though international human rights instruments protect their rights to humanitarian assistance, due process and access to legal counsel as well as labour rights when they are victims of labour abuses post-migration.

Scope of Work

• The Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim Fellow will be expected to produce a 7,000-to-8,000-word investigative feature examining the human rights implications of human smuggling from Pakistan. (Applicants are welcome to propose complementary forms of content such as a video or photo-essay, but the written component is mandatory). Broadly, the work could focus on, but is not limited to:
  • The social and economic reasons that underlie people’s willingness to migrate overseas illegally despite the hazards of such a journey.
  • The operations of smuggling networks, including the role of agencies such as the FIA.
  • The hazards of the journey from Pakistan overseas.
  • The extent or concentration of human smuggling in a given location in Pakistan.
  • Forms of coercion, if any, during the process, including physical, financial and sexual.
  • Life overseas after irregular migrants have reached their destination and the lives of the families they have left behind.
  • Recommendations for migrant-sending and migrant-receiving states to document and counter human smuggling and to provide support to irregular migrants or families who have been subjected to human rights violations during the process.

Benefits

• The fellowship is two months long and is expected to start on 1 September 2023. It carries a total value of PKR 500,000 inclusive of all taxes.

Fellowship Award

• Applications will be assessed by an independent committee of journalists and human rights defenders. The results of the awarding process will be announced in the national press and on HRCP’s website.

For more information, visit Fakhruddin G Ebrahim Fellowship.