News from Simona, a student taking a gap year in India

Simona Kalikova is a student in the Master in Economic Law at the Sciences Po Law School. Upon completion of her first year at the Law School, she decided to take a gap year in India. Committed to promoting human rights, and in particular women’s rights, Simona tells us about her experience in India.

"I decided to take a gap year after the end of my first year at Sciences Po Law School in order to further pursue my passion and life vocation: human rights in general and women’s rights in particular. In order to better understand and deconstruct discrimination and violence against women, I wanted to work in a country where strengthening women’s rights represents a key challenge. Therefore, I chose India as my destination– the biggest world democracy where violence against women unfortunately still represents a daily reality.”

“As I desired to contribute through both my engagement and my research to the changing lens through which Indian society perceives women, I joined the Center for Women and the Law at the National Law School of India University in Bangalore (a partner institution of Sciences Po Law School). Moreover, taking part in the regional awareness campaign to prevent child sexual abuse, I taught sexuality education in local schools. Later, I worked and lived in the rural zones of the state of Rajasthan, where I took part in the awareness campaign about the Right to Information and the Right to Hearing organised by a local organisation called Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan. The opportunity to spend more than a month in different villages of Rajasthan truly opened my eyes and allowed me to better understand the explicit and hidden dynamics of gender, cast and class based discrimination and violence.”

Working for UN Women

“Desiring to further contribute to the improvement of women’s situation in India, I am currently involved with the India Multi Country Office of UN Women, where I intern within the Gender Responsive Budgeting Unit. Working for UN Women allows me not only to better understand different initiatives made at the policy-making level to strengthen gender equality in the region, but also to further develop my knowledge of the law and other skills I gained through Sciences Po Law School andmy field work experiences. “

“My gap year has been a wonderful opportunity not only to understand the different realities of women’s condition in India and to join local and international efforts deployed for its improvement, but also to practically apply my skills and learning gained during the first year of Sciences Po Law School. Moreover, the gap year provided me with a unique opportunity to take the necessary distance to think more clearly about my future evolution – both personal and professional".