Admission requirements
Master degree.
Course information
This course engages in children’s rights as part of international human rights law, including the historical development of children’s rights, the position of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in relation to other UN human rights instruments and the relation between the CRC and regional human rights instruments such as the European Convention on Human Rights, the African Charter on the Rights and the Welfare of the Child and the American Convention on Human Rights. In addition, it provides students with thorough knowledge and understanding of the position of children’s rights in other areas of international law, including human rights law, international labour law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law. Particular attention will be devoted to the added value of other legal instruments compared to the CRC as well as to the role of international institutions for the interpretation and implementation of children’s rights, including, inter alia, treaty bodies, human rights courts, international criminal courts or UN institutions.
Course objectives
After this course the student will be able to:
scrutinize the main features of the UN and regional human rights systems, including the ways in which different human rights protection mechanisms co-exist, overlap and may influence each other;
assess the development of international children’s rights , its main features and ‘added value’;
assess the different workings of different human and children’s rights protection mechanisms at the UN and regional level, and its interaction with domestic protection mechanisms;
assess the strengths and weaknesses of the various UN and regional protection mechanisms for children within their political, social and legal setting.
Mode of instruction
10 weeks of lectures and seminars of two hours each 2 Field trips to UNICEF and the International Criminal Court
Examination method
Written exam: 60%
Written assignment: 20%
Oral presentation: 20%
The final grade for the course is established by determining the weighted average.
It will be up to the discretion of the relevant lecturer/examiner to decide on the form of the retake. The retake may consist of a written retake exam, oral retake exam or any other kind of assessment that is deemed appropriate.
Blackboard
The course manual, including the reading list, will be published on Blackboard.
Submission of written assignments via Blackboard using SafeAssign.
Course materials
The reading materials will be available via the online catalogue or as a paper copy in the Leiden law Library. The availability (either online or as a paper version) of each of the materials will be indicated via Blackboard at least one week prior to the scheduled lecture. In addition, you are advised to use the Handbook on European law relating to the rights of the child, which will be given to you, free of charge, on your first day.
Contact
Coordinator of the course:
Dr. K.F.M. Klep
Telephone number: 0031 (0)-71 527 1325
Email address: k.f.m.klep@law.leidenuniv.nl
Programme Officer:
Ms. Esther Uiterweerd
Telephone number: 0031 (0)-71 527 4644
Email address: childrensrights@law.leidenuniv.nl
Disclaimer:
Currently these pages are being updated to reflect the courses for 2019 - 2020. Until these pages are fixed as per 1 September 2019 no rights can be claimed from the information which is currently contained within.