Call for Volunteers- Decolonising Colonial-Era Legislation in the Caribbean (Second Phase: The Bahamas and Jamaica)
Deadline: Monday, 26 October 2026, noon / 12:00 pm (UK time).
Oxford Pro Bono Publico (OPBP) invites applications from 7–8 research volunteers to participate in the second phase of the research project “Decolonising Colonial-Era Legislation in the Caribbean”.
This project forms part of a strategic litigation and research initiative led by Colours Caribbean (Cayman Islands), in collaboration with the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic at Harvard Law School and established Caribbean civil society organisations. The first report, on Trinidad and Tobago, was completed in October 2026. This second phase extends the research to The Bahamas and Jamaica and will result in a second substantive report due by February 2027.
The task involves identifying colonial-era legislation insulated by savings clauses in The Bahamas and Jamaica, analysing its doctrinal status and the applicable case law, and assessing its contemporary human rights implications — particularly for vulnerable groups (including women, gender minorities, children, Indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, religious minorities, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals). Volunteers will work from the structure and methodology established in the first report, which will be made available to them beforehand.
The project offers a rare opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research at the intersection of public international law, post-colonial legal theory, and substantive areas of law listed below. Volunteers’ work will directly inform advocacy and legal reform efforts addressing the human rights implications of colonial-era legislation that remains shielded from constitutional scrutiny in those branches of law.
Researchers will be assigned by subject area rather than by jurisdiction. Areas include:
- Family law
- Social security
- Criminal and regulatory offences
- Immigration and naturalisation
- Land and property regimes (including environmental regulation)
The research is structured as a clearly bounded assignment suitable for completion within a single academic term, with an estimated commitment of approximately 16–20 hours, depending on the number of volunteers. The work will require doctrinal precision, some historical awareness, and analytical rigour.
Eligibility criteria
Research volunteers must be registered students at the University of Oxford.
In addition, we are looking for:
- Strong grounding in international human rights law, as well as in any of the five branches of law mentioned above (essential)
- Demonstrated research ability and analytical precision (essential)
- Familiarity with English legal history and colonial constitutional frameworks (desirable)
- Intellectual interest in decolonisation, human rights, and comparative constitutional law (desirable)
- Prior knowledge of any common law system, particularly Jamaican or Bahamian law (desirable)
This opportunity is particularly suited to students seeking experience in academically rigorous research with tangible real-world impact. We warmly encourage applications from students with a strong interest in constitutional reform, decolonisation, and strategic human rights litigation.
How to apply
To apply, please send your CV (max. 2 pages) to opbp@law.ox.ac.uk by Monday, 26 October 2026, noon / 12:00 pm (UK time).
In your covering email, please highlight any specific knowledge or experience you have in the above topic and indicating any expertise or preference in the subject matter area(s).
Do get in touch with us if you have any further queries regarding the project on opbp@law.ox.ac.uk