Carolina van der Mensbrugghe
Human Rights Fellow
Carolina joined the Center in 2018 and is responsible for using international human rights law to strengthen domestic legal advocacy.
Carolina came from Amnesty International Japan, where she was a Tolan Human Rights Fellow focused on designing and implementing a comprehensive gender and sexuality human rights instructor manual targeting secondary schools and universities. During law school, she co-authored the white paper “Procedural Reforms for Prisoners on Death Row in Japan,” in partnership with Amnesty International Japan, and presented her findings to members of the Ministry of Justice and Department of Corrections in Tokyo. She developed and delivered training on human rights violations against sex workers in Mauritius, as well as training on engaging human rights mechanisms to prevent gender discrimination for new female members of parliament in Myanmar. She interned for the Global Justice Center and led a reproductive rights fact-finding mission in partnership with grassroots organizations in Louisiana as part of her work with the Fordham Chapter of If/When/How. Prior to law school, Carolina used storytelling as an advocacy tool while working as a documentary producer.
Carolina received her Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law, where she was a Crowley Scholar for International Law & Justice and spent one semester abroad at Waseda Law School in Tokyo, Japan. Carolina received her B.A. in International Relations and Theatre from Colgate University.
Carolina speaks Spanish, French, and conversational Japanese.