A decade devoted to shaping the future of children’s rights
The Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights (LL.M.) was launched in 2015 to equip a generation of professionals to protect the rights of children worldwide. As the programme celebrates its 10th anniversary, we reflect on its impact.
On 29 August 2025, we will gather for an anniversary celebration. This special event will feature keynote speaker Dr Marta Santos Pais, former UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children, alongside a high-level panel of experts including Professor Cecilia Bailliet, UN Independent Expert on Human Rights and International Solidarity.
Celebrating our alumni
Our alumni will take centre stage at this event. Since the programme’s inception, its graduates have gone on to influence policy in parliaments, win cases in courtrooms, lead change in NGOs, advise governments, and contribute groundbreaking research. Leading up to the event on 29 August, Professor Ton Liefaard has interviewed alumni over on the Leiden Law School YouTube channel. Quotes from those interviews can be found throughout this article, and highlight how the programme has not only taught students about children’s rights and prepared them for their upcoming career…
Francesca Pisanu
From: Sardinia
Graduated in: 2022
Current role: EU Advocacy Officer at Eurochild
'The advanced programme provided me with comprehensive knowledge and comprehensive understanding of children's rights, both from a legal but also a practical perspective. It fostered a mindset of looking beyond established knowledge, allowing me to view issues from different perspectives to assess whether a policy and legislation truly benefits children.'
See more on YouTube
… but also gave them a window into other cultures and lived experiences through their classmates.
Lisa Achien'g Odhiambo
From: Kenya
Graduated: 2023
Current role: Program Assistant at The Institute for Social Accountability (TISA)
'Right from the onset, I was hit by the diversity in the classroom. Here I was, in a room full of people from different nationalities, different backgrounds, different lived experiences, and I knew each person was going to be bringing a unique perspective to the class. My first thought was: what an opportunity for to actually learn, grow, and share experiences from my own country. It was an opportunity for me to wear the lenses of others.'
See more on YouTube.
International impact
Over the past 10 years, the Advanced LL.M. has developed to become a globally recognised programme, known for its unique focus and international learning environment. It combines a strong academic foundation with practical, real-world insights from leading experts, including practitioners from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF, and civil society organisations.
Menna Radwan
From: Egypt
Graduated: 2018
Current role: Field Team Leader at the International Committee of the Red Cross, Yei, Central Equatoria, South Sudan
'When we have more practitioners with legal expertise, we're going to close the gap between the field and the policymaking level. That's why I'm very fascinated to see the alumni from the programme (and also my peers) now, to see how every one of us is evolving. We are empowering more believers and more passionate people in the field.'
See more on YouTube.
Graduates have gone on to make a real difference in courts, governments, NGOs, academia, and international organisations. Their work addresses pressing issues such as armed conflict, forced displacement, climate change, digital safety, and inequality – all of which continue to shape the lives of children everywhere.
Cristy Huayamave
From Ecuador
Graduated: 2017
Current role: External consultant for the IACHR and the Representative of Carolina Adoption Agency in Ecuador
Right now, I'm working as a consultant in the American Commission on a particular issue which affects many countries across the world: the retrogressive measures affecting children’s rights. It has been wonderful work because I'm assessing topics affecting children in the region and other countries, and the effect of political issues on the lives of millions of children, not only in Latin America but in the whole world.
See more on YouTube.
A moment to reflect...
This event is not just a celebration of the programme’s impact – it’s a moment to reflect, reconnect, and recommit to advancing children’s rights in a rapidly changing world. That’s because we will also commemorate other milestones:
- 100 years since the first Declaration of the Rights of the Child
- 35 years since the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
- 10 years since the Third Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure entered into force.
These historic moments highlight both the progress made in safeguarding children’s rights worldwide. However, many challenges still lie ahead. Be it in warzones or courtrooms, many of our systems still don’t allow for children’s voices, cater to their specific needs, or honour their basic human rights.
Deniece Carrington
From: Canada
Graduated: 2021
Current role: Senior Legal Advisor, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, International Legal Consortium, Washington, D.C.
'I decided to register for the programme because at the time I had been practising law for over a decade, and part of my work was working in the court system where I saw a lot of children and youth, and I did not like how these children were treated within the justice system. So, I decided to study international children's rights, and particularly learn more about how the juvenile justice system, and how the child justice system interacts with children's rights.'
See more on YouTube.
Gabriela Cavazani
From: Brazil
Graduated: 2025
Current role: Senior level attorney at Pinheiro Neto Advogados, São Paulo
'I come from a family law background and in the field of law we usually look at children as an object in a dispute. So you are concerned with guardianship, child support and things like that. So the child is usually an object, but it's never a central player. And this course, especially the classes about decisional autonomy and the right to be heard, really shaped my view. It actually shifted my view from the child as a bystander to a real rights holder. You should treat the child as an agent while you are safeguarding their rights.'
See more on YouTube.
...and to look forward.
Looking back is important, but looking forward is equally important. The anniversary celebration on 29 August will feature speeches and panel discussions that will inform the future of accountability and international solidarity in children’s rights.
Chisom Sam-Igbokwue
From: Nigeria
Graduated: 2019
Current role: Principal Consultant at Sceptre and Prima Legal Consulting, Nigeria
'Every aspect of the master's programme prepared me for where I am today, and, I believe, where I am going to go in the future. […] The course prepares you for the real world.'
See more on YouTube.
The morning session of the 10th anniversary event is open to researchers, students, professionals and other members of the public – in other words, anyone interested in children’s rights. This part of the programme will also see the launch of the Children’s Rights Education Fund, a fund that will help teach more future children’s rights professionals.
Read more about the event and register here.