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Posted April 10, 2018

6 Reasons To Study An LLM In Human Rights Law

Human Rights LawHave you ever thought about a career with one of the most prestigious bodies of the world? If the UN is your destination and people your choice of career, then you are ready to pursue an LLM in Human Rights law.

Human Rights LLM

The field of Human Rights Law opens up the door to many international peace bodies such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Red Cross, Amnesty International, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) among others and helps you pursue your passion in helping people, oppressed by law, to get their basic human rights. Universities such as Leiden University, London School of Economics and Political Science, Queen Mary University of London, and the University of Geneva offer this LLM specialism, among others around the globe.

Here are just six reasons why you should consider studying an LLM in Human Rights Law.

1) Take matters into your own hands

An LLM in Human Rights law will give you a chance to act instead of being a mere spectator. Have there been times you have read news articles about global issues such as the Guantanamo Bay tragedy or merciless Al-Queda killings and felt astonished at how people were being treated? How their basic human rights, the ones that people like you and me take for grantedm are being violated so blatantly? Pursuing an LLM in human rights along with a well placed job/internship will put you one step closer to being able to take matters into your own hands.

2) Universal & relevant

Every country in the world has laws and humans and the job of a human rights lawyer is to make sure that the basic fundamental rights of these people are not being taken away. So you will find yourself relevant in any country of the world. The laws might differ but not substantially so you will be able to practice there too (please look into the practice requirements including licenses and certificates by the concerned authority before you set out to change the world).

3) Applicability

In terms of long term future, you will never be out of a job. You will always find that even though the way of oppression changes, it still exists and will therefore require your solicitation. You just need to know where to look for the source of the violations and then you know how to go about setting the injustice right.

4) Helping the underdog

There are a shortage of human rights lawyers as there are not a lot of lawyers (irrespective of gender) that can stomach the tragedies they are generally required to see in the course of their career and therefore though it is a profession with much scope, you find that some leave because they could not take it. If you are serious about making a mark, be prepared for some heart wrenching tragedies that you will encounter. But if you remember that your job is to make them see the light of justice and not to feel bad for them, you might just get a win there.

5) Scholarships 

There are numerous organisations that fund you to take up this particular stream and invest in you provided you seem industrious enough. Organisations such as the Geneva Academy fund you for the entire tuition as well as living expenses. This shows that there is a growing need and demand for this specialization.

6) Human touch

This is one arena of law that is anything but boring. The contents can be very sad, sure, but the smell of injustice and the hunger to set right the wrong, especially to give innocent people a chance to pursue their happiness, gives it an edge that is missing in the dry commercial laws aspect of law. 

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