International Human Rights Clinic

"Being the first year that Terre des hommes Foundation worked with the SOAS Human Rights Clinic, the process and results of this partnership exceeded our expectations. In the realm of humanitarian programming, it’s often difficult to bridge the gap between theory and practice, especially in the contested field of human rights. 

The work of the SOAS Human Rights Clinic was instrumental in supporting a process of critical thinking within our organisation: the comprehensive literature review helped familiarise us with an impressive range of academic resources, and the against-the-grain analysis has allowed us to open up space for deeper reflection about our work in the field of juvenile justice across the world. We hope to have the privilege of working with Lynn and her dynamic students in the future.” 

- Yann Colliou, Programme Manager for Middle East, North African, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Terre des hommes Foundation

“REDRESS has had the pleasure to collaborate with the SOAS Human Rights Clinic since its establishment. Each year, teams of students have given their time to assist REDRESS with crucial research projects. Because of the way in which the clinic is structured and the oversight provided by SOAS academic staff, the research is in-depth and of very high quality. 

It has been of crucial help to REDRESS and hopefully students have come out of the process with a clearer understanding of the practicalities of NGO work in the human rights field. Thank you SOAS!” 

- Carla Ferstman, REDRESS Director

“We have been working with SOAS Clinic students for the last couple of years, on projects such as criminalisation of child recruitment and use in armed conflict, non-state actors and child soldiers, and analysing security sector reform mechanisms to prevent child recruitment. Students’ research, with the support of Lynn and Iain, has been very thorough and it has contributed to the development of our research work.” 

- Tomaso Falchetta and Grazia Careccia, Child Soldiers International

“While I was studying for the LLM [at SOAS], I did the Human Rights Clinic module with Lynn Welchman. This course gives students the opportunity to undertake practical research projects for NGOs. I keep in regular touch with Prof. Welchman and the SOAS Clinic students have successfully carried out two projects for LFJL. 

We are also a very SOAS heavy organisation as quite a few of our staff members and volunteers are SOAS alumni. SOAS will always be part of the fabric of LFJL.” 

- Elham Saudi, Director, Lawyers for Justice in Libya

“Students from the SOAS International Human Rights Clinic have produced excellent background research for two projects for the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB). The first project involved the students producing an analysis of legal issues surrounding the human right to water and responsibilities of business. This informed a larger project IHRB was undertaking on the subject and was published as part of IHRB's programme of work on World Water Day 2011. 

In the second project the students undertook a mapping exercise of the extent and scope of human rights commitments made by a range of companies and requirements imposed by a range of multi-stakeholder initiatives, benchmarks and stock exchanges. This came at the earliest stages of an ongoing project that benefitted from the students' detailed research and entrepreneurial spirit. IHRB looks forward to future opportunities to involve the high caliber work of the SOAS Clinic students in our programmes.” 

- Haley St. Dennis, Institute for Human Rights and Business

“Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) began its partnership with SOAS in 2013. Students from the SOAS Clinic were enthusiastic, hardworking and produced excellent background research for a project on legal accountability and access to justice in South Sudan. LAW conducted fortnightly conference calls with Clinic students, who then undertook extensive research and produced a comprehensive report on relevant issues under the supervision of Lynn Welchman. 

This research was used to inform consultations with legal experts in this area on how legal interventions might be undertaken to address land grabbing and natural resource exploitation in the country. LAW is currently developing new projects requiring extensive research and is looking forward to working with Clinic students in the future.” 

- Antonia Mulvey, Executive Director, Legal Action Worldwide

"Over the past number of years Just Fair has had the privilege of partnering with SOAS students through the Human Rights Clinic. The students have always gone above and beyond to create meaningful research that will have real life application. They have investigated issues such as the privatisation of human rights, socio-economic status as a ground for discrimination internationally and the realisation of the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the UK. 

The quality of their work and their dedication to it has been exemplary, as is the support they receive from the teaching staff within the University. We very much hope our relationship with them will continue to grow and flourish." 

- Helen Flynn, Head of Policy, Research and Campaigns, Just Fair

"The Clinic has been one of the most wonderful experiences during my MA at SOAS. It has inspired me to understand the passion behind the hard work of human rights activism and law to protect human dignity and all the obstacles faced in the process of change. It has allowed me to not only network with fellow experienced students, real organisations in the field and gain in-practice experience, but it has also given me insight into how human rights frameworks work and where they fail too. 

Most importantly, I feel like I have become a better human thanks to acquiring all this knowledge and now I know that a small step is still an important step towards peace and justice." 

- Yasmin Bennaim Kuska, Clinic 10 (2019-20)

"Clinic was my favourite class at SOAS - the format brings in so many varied perspectives on human rights advocacy and creates a great space for discussion. I loved our cohort and have found it so helpful personally, academically and professionally, to debate, challenge and consider how to best apply human rights in any realm of work or advocacy going forward. 

I became really close with my project team and other members of Clinic: we really supported and motivated each other and hence the research project was one of the most committed, ambitious, collaborative, fun projects I've ever worked on." 

- Lotta Skule, Clinic 10 (2019-20) 

"Clinic 10 will always remain extremely close to my heart as it gave me a chance to be part of a diverse team of colleagues across disciplines, inclined and wired to act for promoting human rights in these testing political times, and supporting each other. To me, Clinic 10 meant solidarity, lots of learning, a sense of commitment, and loads of wonderful snacks! I highly recommend the Clinic for young human rights advocates. 

Working on a live project with prominent NGOs on nuanced and topical human rights propositions would help you build a better understanding of designing human rights advocacy strategies and addressing challenges in future roles; essentially, understanding what works and what does not, and for what reasons. Parallelly, Prof Lynn’s lectures on the core workings of the human rights organizations as they exist today and her insightful remarks on the same would help you delve critically on the research/fact-finding methodologies that feed into rights-based interventions. 

Although a challenging course that requires you to push yourself, the stimulating, enabling environment created by Prof Lynn, and her support in students’ correspondence with the partner NGOs, makes it such a positive and enriching experience that I would be happy to do it again, if I could!" 

- Ishita Kumar, Clinic 10 (2019-20)

"The Clinic was the highlight of my SOAS experience! As somebody who was making a career change, it bridged the gap between human rights in principle and human rights in practice and it has been paramount in helping me secure a role in human rights. Employers have been extremely interested in what I did in Clinic because it’s interesting, hard work and real. 

Uniquely, the Clinic inspires a critical mindset that enables you to constantly evaluate your own impact in the field - a skill that will always be useful in this ever changing arena. Lynn is an absolute pleasure: she becomes your friend, your unwavering source of knowledge and a constant reminder of how much work you’ve agreed to take on. I wish I could do it all over again - I think!" 

- Kane Jackson, Clinic 10 (2019-20)

"I have a deep liking for the International Human Rights Law Clinic, fundamentally on how it builds up skills in human rights research, report writing and advocacy. I would say, it is the bedrock for developing practical skills, among postgraduate students, that are critical and relevant to human rights practice. It is also a highly intense and fast-paced module with a unique approach: providing space for one to record his/her reflection on the project writing experience – quite a painful solitary exercise, but that which helps one to think through his/her experience and position and contribution to the team – an undertaking, potentially, which helps students to take steps in addressing some of their weak areas and celebrate their strengths and those of the group. 

I also found the clinic speaking to other modules that I studied, like the International Protection of Human Rights (IPHR), Law and Development in Africa and Gender, Sexuality and Law. I would often think, 'Faced with this in my community, how could I go about it?' – and ideas from the Clinic would start popping up. Lastly, I found the experience from the Clinic project laying strong foundation for presentation of academic writing. Each time I was preparing an assignment and during the time I was writing my dissertation, I often would ask myself what would Lynn (Prof Lynn Welchman) say on this section or point - and the four elements of her emphasis (according to me) would come to mind: (1) Evidence/accuracy! (2) Where is the scholarship? (3) Where is the law? (4) Citation! Watch your footnotes/bibliography!" 

- Stephen Ndhlovu, Clinic 9 (2018-19)

“The Clinic was an unmissable part of my SOAS experience. It provided us with invaluable insight into what it means to work in human rights, from the wide variety of topics and project partners to greatly inspiring guest-speakers, sharing their experiences in UN missions, with different human rights organisations or even in international humanitarian law. 

To mention is also the constant reflection about one's own work in the Clinic as well as about the potential, limitations and critique of human rights work - in my opinion a very important process for anyone considering a career in human rights. Despite being a lot of work, the Clinic was also a highly enjoyable experience (I just say lots of cake and snacks, and drinks in the evenings after deadlines). 

It brought together a diverse group of enthusiastic and highly motivated people who all brought different experiences into the classroom, with the result that Clinic was not only learning together, but also from each other. For all these and many other reasons, I would definitely do it again!” 

- Theresa Mockel, Clinic 9 (2018-19)

“If you are looking to study an LLM in SOAS and learn about human rights, you have chosen the right place to do so especially because of the uniqueness of the International Human Rights Clinic module. The Clinic is not only an academically enriching experience, but it also represents an opportunity to put human rights theories and knowledge into practice. Firstly, the project report allows you to work in partnership with a human rights NGO. 

This will help you to develop strong organisational skills, as you are required to constantly communicate with your team members, stick to internal deadlines and update your project partners. Secondly, during class you will have the chance to remain constantly inspired. A variety of speakers who are experts in the human rights field will come to talk to you about their own career paths, including their challenges and successes. This has been my favourite part of the module as it truly opened my eyes to the reality of working in human rights. 

Finally, the Clinic definitely allows you to improve your writing and advocacy skills. Aside from the project report, the advocacy analysis essay will give you the opportunity to critically analyse an advocacy document of your choice. This is a great opportunity to write about an issue that you feel passionate about. I strongly recommend taking the Clinic module. It is hard work but it is definitely worth it.” 

- Sarah Voulaz, Clinic 9 2018-19

"The SOAS International Human Rights Clinic is one of the best classes I have had at SOAS and my academic studies prior to England. A mix of theory and practice, the full year course represents the perfect opportunity to learn about human rights work and human rights at work. The assigned team project with a renowned human rights NGO in conjunction with theory-based discussions during weekly sessions greatly enhanced my understanding of the opportunities, challenges and constraints of human rights in practice. 

Further, and beyond the indispensable knowledge exchange among students from all over the world, various guest speakers covered different angles and perspectives on human rights: representatives from a range of organisations, institutions and backgrounds shared their expertise in NGO advocacy and funding, UN missions or human rights in times of war. I can recommend the class to anyone who is interested in an all-round and critical picture of human rights practice, in a creative and demanding learning environment and in making friends from all over." 

- Michael Bader, Clinic 9 (2018-19)

“The International Human Rights Clinic was the most inspiring and motivating experience I have had during my postgraduate studies in SOAS. The Clinic provided the most suitable atmosphere to express myself freely, and discuss critical issues with fellow students and speakers that had diverse backgrounds in all aspects. As students, the advocacy analysis essay provided us with the opportunity to individually present our ideas in an area that we were most interested in, whereas the project was a valuable experience in working collaboratively as well. 

Through the project diaries, I was able to evaluate the process of writing a report as a group continuously, and the feedback received for each entry helped me to improve along the way. The Clinic was not only a module, but a unique environment in which diversity was embraced rather than only being respected. The time spent during and after the classroom with fellow students and the Clinic convenor have greatly contributed to my education academically and individually.” 

- Yagmur Izcan, Clinic 8 (2017-18)

''The Clinic is the perfect module for specialising in human rights because it is a mix of theory and practice. You learn how to write, organise and be clear when writing human rights reports, you will have talks by people with experience in the field plus their suggestions for the future. 

The environment is professional and of course, there are deadlines, it is not just academic coursework but professional work. I definitely recommend the Clinic for the reasons mentioned above''. 

- Wilson Torres, Clinic 8 (2017-18)

"You will take several important and well-taught modules during your LLM at SOAS, and the Clinic will be very different from these classes. As a part of the Clinic you take on the responsibility of working with NGOs on a brief on a pressing human rights issue. Your brief may be used in their advocacy campaigns in whole or part. Clinic was the most engaging academic experience that I had during my time at SOAS, it was the first time I produced a project of that size and honed skills I'm confident I will find useful in my future career. 

We learned how to plan and make effective use of meetings, write in the language of human rights advocates and most importantly spent several months learning from each other. I am incredibly proud of the way that my team used our different strengths and experiences to compile the best brief we could." 

- Purba Tyagi, Clinic 8 (2017-18)