On March 17-18^th, and 23rd, the Global Justice Clinic hosted a training session to prepare a group of volunteers and students who will administer a field survey of reconstruction workers in areas affected by Superstorm Sandy. The survey is part of a joint project with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative examining the human rights situation facing post-disaster workers in New York City. The training included lessons on ethics and confidentiality, interviewing skills and data gathering methods, and human rights fact-finding. The surveyors analyzed the survey instrument and engaged in practice sessions aimed to prepare them for scenarios that typically arise during human rights survey work.

The overall purpose of the study—which is a Spring 2013 Global Justice Clinic Project—is to understand and assess the legal and human rights issues affecting reconstruction workers in New York City areas affected by Superstorm Sandy, including job security, safety, fair pay, discrimination, and access to adequate housing and healthcare. Data is being collected through a combination of key informant interviews and on-site surveys of construction workers.  The results will be published in a report and scholarly articles. The collaborating partners hope that the data collected from this study will provide useful information to community organizations focusing on labor and immigrant rights. At the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, the study will also serve as a basis for scholarly inquiry into the advantages of using population-based, quantitative methods in human rights fact-finding.