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Internship for Child Protection Programme, UNICEF Bhutan, 4 months (Open for current final year students of JSWLS)

Apply now Job no: 588293
Contract type: Internship
Duty Station: Thimphu
Level: Internship
Location: Bhutan
Categories: Child Protection

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture.., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, a protection.

How can you make a difference? 
 
Description of duties:
 
Justice for children is one of the focus areas for the UNICEF Child Protection Programme in Bhutan. UNICEF collaborates with the Bhutan National Legal Institute (BNLI), the Legal Aid Center, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP), the National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC), Pema Secretariat, and Nazhoen Lamtoen to strengthen laws concerning children in conflict with the law (CICL) and to build the capacity of service providers to meet the needs of CICL and other children who come into contact with the justice system.
 
Reinforcing all aspects of the child protection system, including justice mechanisms to ensure they serve the best interests of children, is a priority. This involves improving the quality of justice services, ensuring access to these services to address child protection and uphold their rights, and supporting the Government in fulfilling its national and international obligations.
 
In 2026, continuing with the work on Justice for Children, UNICEF will be:
  • Supporting the Legal Aid Centre and BNLI in improving access to legal aid for children, women, and vulnerable people through capacity building of key service providers.
  • Working with RBP, OAG, and the PEMA Secretariat to strengthen the diversion of CICL and enhance rehabilitation and reintegration services for children in the Youth Rehabilitation and Development Centre (YRDC);
  • Working with JSWLS to build capacity on justice for children, support coordination of the justice sector, and development of competency frameworks.
  • Work with JSWLS to support legal aid services for RENEW Community Centers and contribute to the development of restorative justice tools such as the Family Group Conferencing Handbook.
  • Working with the Pema Secretariat on enhancing child protection and GBV services.
  • Support the GovTech Agency and SID (MoESD) in rolling out Child Online Protection training packages and procedures for schools under digitalization projects.
  • Support Nazhoen Lamtoen’s capacity building on trauma-informed care and strengthening community child protection teams.
Under the direct supervision of the Child Protection Officer, the intern will:
  1. Support the research and development of policy, laws, and legal frameworks related to Child Rights.
  2. Support the coordination mechanism for child protection and justice for children.
  3. Support with rehabilitation programmes and services in the Youth Rehabilitation and Development Centre under the RBP.
  4. Contribute to the research on climate change, online risk, and restorative justice.
  5. Support the strengthening of the justice for children’s workforce, as well as the social service workforce for child protection.
  6. Contribute to developing project proposals, document review, analysis, drafting reports, and presentations.
  7. Assist in coordination, data entry and preparation of advocacy materials.
  8. Support other programme activities related to child protection as required by the supervisor.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

To be considered for an internship, applicants must meet the following requirements:

  • Applicants must be at least 18 years old;
  • Should be a current "Final Year" student of "Jigme Singye Wangchuck Law School";
  • Must be proficient in English and fluent in the Dzongkha.
  • Have excellent academic performance as demonstrated by recent university or institution records.
  • Have no immediate relatives (e.g. father, mother, brother, sister) working in any UNICEF office; and
  • Have no other relatives in the line of authority to which the intern will report to.

Benefits:

  • The intern shall be entitled to all the benefits as provided by UNICEF Procedure on Internship Programme.

Duration of Engagement: 4 months (01 February - 31 May 2026)

Documents to be submitted: 

1. Letter of motivation/Cover Letter

2. CV

3. Copy of Citizenship ID Card

4. Proof of enrollment in JSW Law of School

5. Recent Academic Transcripts

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, all eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

 

Advertised: Bangladesh Standard Time
Deadline: Bangladesh Standard Time

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