Sarah Trotter

I was a strategic litigation intern at MDAC for two months over the summer of 2012. From the very start the other interns and I were made to feel extremely welcome, and participating in staff meetings and training sessions only reinforced our sense that we were contributing to the work of this special organisation.

My main tasks involved summarising and analysing recent ECtHR judgements for the database that MDAC is building; assisting with research on the principle of reasonable accommodation in the context of forensic detention for a third party ECtHR intervention; and finally, research on the possibility of compensation for human rights violations incurred during institutionalisation.

The overwhelming importance of this latter project was emphasised to me in visiting a social care institution on the outskirts of Budapest. That was the most striking and harrowing experience of the entire summer. The visit was part of the Mental Disability Law in Practice summer school, which I was fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to participate in. The course was great, and we covered a wide range of material which expanded on what I had learnt at MDAC in the preceding weeks. I learnt a great deal from the other course participants and teachers, and I am grateful to them for that.

I had a fantastic few months in Budapest and have left with a better understanding of the work of an international NGO and a good grounding in mental disability law. It was a privilege to work with such an important and special organisation, and I am most grateful to all at MDAC for the opportunity.