Hello all,

I'm planning on pursuing an LLM in international humanitarian and human rights law, with my first choices being ADH Geneva, LSE, UCL, Kings, perhaps Essex... I am not applying to Oxbridge (wish my marks were that high!) or to the US (personal reasons.)

My focus professionally and academically has traditionally focused on children's rights and child soldiers. I would love so much to find an LLM in human rights/humanitarian law that has a child-rights focus (or even a few modules in that subject) but I haven't managed to find one yet. Does anyone know one that I might have overlooked?
Thanks for any advice.

Northwestern U. School of Law - LL.M. in International Human Rights - 2nd semester: Women, Children and Human Rights - Prof. Dohrn,Bernardine

Law involving the civil, criminal or constitutional rights of children is a recent development, as is the global discourse and international law of human rights treaties and standards. The jurisprudence, consequences, and administration of human rights law for children, while largely undeveloped, are rapidly emerging in treaty law, case law, customary law, legislation, and legal hearings (UN Commission on Human Rights, European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and the International Criminal Court) around the world. This seminar will examine the framework of children and human rights, including matters of evidence, jurisdiction, and the domestic implementation and applicability of major treaty law. The class will investigate the changing constructions of childhood with its contending frameworks of property, protection, rights, and participation. The class will examine the impact of both essentialism and religious law and traditional customs (such as Shari'a, Islamic Law) on international human rights. Students will examine, in some depth, five substantive areas of human rights law in both the U.S. and abroad: juvenile justice and the deprivation of liberty; sentencing and the death penalty for children; separated children (orphans, street children ,and refugees/asylum-seekers); children in armed conflicts; and child labor. Course Expectations Students will examine the conditions of children incarcerated, executed, institutionalized, separated or laboring in the U.S. in light of international human rights standards and will prepare group presentations of conditions observed first hand (including class trips), as well as submit an individual 10-15 page paper analyzing a specific aspect of human rights for children. Students are expected to read widely, to identify newsworthy and topical events, to participate in class discussions and group projects, and to select, read and discuss two works of literature from the optional reading list. The background textbook is: The International Law on the Rights of the Child, by Geraldine Van Bueren. Weekly reading assignments, including basic treaties, conventions, protocols, cases, and articles, will be provided in advance. Active class discussion matters.

Thanks for posting that Stagista11, the course looks exactly like what I've been seeking - but unfortunately it's in the States, and I can't afford to do my degree in the US. Maybe there's another program somewhere else in the world?

PS., Do you think I could have used the word "focus" any more in my original post? :/

You can always try! this year the school granted 2 scholarships, one of which is a full-tuition scholarship. You must consider whether you qualify for scholarship though, whether need or merit-based. Another school that tends to be generous to its students is Notre Dame (IN), which is very well regarded for its HR program