Children's Rights Moot Court Competition 2021 -- University of Padova team among the Quarter finalists

Good news for the students at our university has just arrived from Leiden, where the fourth edition of the Children's Rights Moot Court Competition is unfolding (online, of course). The team from the University of Padova has been selected for the quarter-final matches of the competition, which will start on Monday 14 June. 

Padova passed the preliminary round in which up to 96 teams took part, representing almost as many universities. More than 200 judges, lecturers, advocates, and lawyers from all over the world have cooperated in assessing participants. The Padova team is made up of: Isotta De Zandonati, Charmaine I. Magosvongwe, Giulia Rosina, and Luiza Sartori Costa, graduate students at the Department of Political, Legal and International Studies - SPGI.

The eight finalist universities are, in addition to Padua: Middlesex University (London), the University of Hong Kong, the Ateneo Law School (Manila), the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (Calcutta), the University of Kent (Canterbury), the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kiev, and the Universidad de los Andes (Bogota).

The Leiden Children’s Rights Moot Court is one of the most important international competitions in which students from the best universities worldwide simulate a law case in a human rights court. The Moot Court is organised every two years by the Law School of the University of Leiden, in collaboration with Baker McKenzie, a leading international law firm, and with the support of CREAN - the European Academic Network on the Rights of the Child.

It is the first time that the University of Padova participates in the competition. Participating students are enrolled in master's degrees in Human Rights and Multi-level Governance and in International Relations and Diplomacy. Prof. Paolo De Stefani, of the SPGI Department, and Dr. Ling Han, of the University Centre for Human Rights, supported the team.

The Moot Court simulates a children's rights lawsuit brought by individuals against a State. Teams must draft written memorials in support of both the plaintiff and the respondent State and plead as counsels of both parties.

This year's case concerned the rights of foreign fighters' children, who were trapped in prison camps after the armed group their parents fought for was defeated. The proposed scenario, therefore, reflected the real situation faced in recent years by many European citizens or citizens of other states who fought for the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and who are now asking to be repatriated together with their children.

The quarter final matches of the Children's Rights Moot Court Competition is public. Monday 14 June at 3 pm, everyone can connect on Zoom to follow the adventure of Isotta, Charmaine, Giulia and Luiza online! The grand finale of Wednesday 16 is just one step away!

The link to the Zoom platform is: https://bakermckenzie.zoom.us/j/91090553915?pwd=QWV5WDBYRXNRNFl3a3JpZlFPc3ZmZz09
Webinar ID: 910 9055 3915 Password: 057303.