Param-Preet Singh
Param-Preet Singh is an Associate Director in Human Rights Watch’s International Justice Program. She focuses on creating credible paths to accountability for victims and survivors of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. She has conducted on-the-ground fact-finding missions and authored reports and briefing papers on justice efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Côte d’Ivoire. She has also worked on advocacy campaigns to address mass human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and in Myanmar. From 2016-2020, she was chair of Human Rights Watch's Fellowship Program.
Before joining Human Rights Watch, Param-Preet worked as a lawyer with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and the Federal Department of Justice in Toronto, Canada. She was also a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow at Harvard Law School and a Schell Center Senior Visiting Human Rights Fellow at Yale Law School. She is a graduate of the University of Alberta and McGill Law School. Follow her on Twitter @singhp_p.
Param-Preet Singh was profiled for ATLAS by Angela Mudukuti. Learn more about Angela's work at the end of this profile and follow her @AngelaMudukuti.
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What pulled you into a career in human rights?
My parents came to Canada from India and embodied the idea of giving back to the country that gave them so much. When I was growing up, my mom’s work helping immigrant women overcome language and cultural barriers – including cultural taboos – to realize their full potential gave me a glimpse into just how much I took for granted. She really was a force of nature when it came to helping people, and was always finding ways to work around or challenge things that weren’t fair. Her example showed me that levelling the playing field benefits everyone. That spirit motivated me to go to law school, which exposed me to opportunities in international human rights.
Tell me more about your journey. Did you have any doubts along the way?
I had so many doubts. The path to a private sector job is straightforward but breaking into human rights is anything but.
In law school, I completed a couple of enriching overseas human rights internships which solidified my interest and desire to work in this field. I naively assumed that these experiences would be enough to launch me into an international human rights career right after law school. I learned the hard way that there is a big difference between doing interesting unpaid internships and making a living.
With the benefit of hindsight, I wouldn’t have hired me either! I just didn’t have enough experience to be a competitive candidate for the jobs that interested me. I also realized that instead of fixating on what I didn’t get, and letting that perceived failure define me, I should focus on building up my skills to bring me closer to my dream job.
I articled for the Department of Justice in Toronto and gained experience doing litigation. It gave me solid training and enhanced my analytical writing and advocacy skills in a professional setting. I leveraged these skills and my insider perspective from working in the government to get my job with the UN in Kosovo. That opportunity expanded my professional network and my understanding of how international human rights law could be (but wasn’t always) implemented on the ground. The desire to explore this disconnect led me to my current job at Human Rights Watch (HRW).
While it’s easy to describe my path now, I had to apply for a lot of jobs before I landed each of these opportunities, and every step was riddled with uncertainty.
Do you have any advice on how to tackle the patriarchy in the field?
Honestly, I’m still figuring this out! But here’s one thing that I can’t emphasize enough: find your people. In law school and in every job I’ve had since, I’ve sought out and developed a network of like-minded women to cope with the inevitable stress and frustration in a field that’s traditionally been dominated by white male privilege. Finding a trusted community is key, especially for women of color, to build resilience and to strategize about ways to challenge people’s assumptions about what you can and can’t do.
What are some of your career highlights?
Leading HRW’s Fellowship programme— considering I didn’t even get an internship here — and turning it into something that actively supports fellows is a highlight. I’ve also developed a program to onboard new researchers at HRW, which has given me a vehicle to offer the support and advice I wish I’d gotten when I started.
The work that I’m most proud of, and where I’ve seen the most impact, is when I’ve collaborated closely with survivors, activists, and other NGOs, whether it was to draw the UN Security Council’s attention to the dismal human rights situation in North Korea or to support Gambia’s genocide case against Myanmar before the International Court of Justice. Both instances gave me the opportunity to brainstorm with thoughtful partners to develop a strategy to influence governments’ thinking about a seemingly intractable situation. And what I learned in the process of collaboration, including being conscious of the privilege of my platform, is just as valuable as the result.
Do you have any advice for women who want to be where you are?
Understand the importance of connections and relationships. I used to bristle at the word “networking” because it sounds so transactional, but now I think of it as connecting with people and building relationships. I do think that overall, success in this field has a lot to do with your ability to connect with people in a genuine way and understand where they are coming from.
Reach out to the people whose careers you admire and ask for advice. You may not always get a response, but it’s always worth trying in case you do. The ATLAS network is such a valuable resource on this front. I’ve learned a lot from the generosity displayed by the women on this forum.
Perseverance is so important: If your first try doesn’t work out – and chances are, it won’t – remember that there are always other opportunities. There’s no “right” way to build a career in human rights.
Your job doesn’t define your professional identity. It’s what you bring to your job, not just your skills but your integrity and collegiality, that leaves a lasting impression.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I want to give a shout-out to my incredible colleagues at Human Rights Watch. You simply cannot underestimate the power that comes from the support of super-smart, funny women that have your back. It opens the mental space to be creative and tackle the obstacles that emerge in this line of work.
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Angela Mudukuti is a Zimbabwean international criminal justice lawyer currently with the Open Society Justice Initiative. Prior to that, she was an International Justice Consultant with Human Rights Watch and the Senior International Criminal Justice Lawyer at the Wayamo Foundation. Angela also worked with the Southern Africa Litigation Centre on precedent-setting cases including seeking the arrest of the former president of Sudan, Omar al Bashir, during his 2015 visit to South Africa, and on cases pertaining to crimes against humanity and universal jurisdiction before the Constitutional Court in South Africa.
Angela’s experience includes working for the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, and under the supervision of Prof. Cherif Bassiouni at the International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights. Angela is an expert on the Justice Rapid Response Expert Roster, a published author who regularly contributes to newspapers and journals, and a permanent member of the international law blog Opinio Juris. Angela has an LL.M. and an LL.B. Follow her on Twitter @AngelaMudukuti