LLM Human Rights Law Dissertation Award

The annual prize for the best dissertation by a student on the taught Masters programme in Human Rights Law has this year been awarded to Ms. Rachel Hill. The dissertation, entitled ‘Gender Identity, Healthcare and Human Rights: Is a Change in the Law Necessary to Protect Intersex Children in the UK from Genital Normalising Surgeries?’, was supervised by Dr Sylvie Da Lomba.  

Commenting on receiving the award, Rachel said:

I am absolutely delighted to have been awarded this prize for my LLM dissertation, which discussed the lack of legal protections for intersex children in the UK. As this is a topic I am incredibly passionate about, I would love to do more to raise awareness of the issues and to advocate for changes in the law. After graduating with my Masters degree, I worked for the British Red Cross for a year, where I supported destitute asylum seekers and refugees with complex needs. I now work for an incredible human rights law firm, JustRight Scotland, while also studying to complete the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice.

Rachel follows previous prize-winners, Ms. Conor Hill (2018, for her dissertation entitled ‘The Use of ‘Alternative’ Justice Mechanisms to Secure Women’s Rights in Post-Conflict Societies: Lessons from Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia’), Mr. Douglas Jack (2017, for his dissertation entitled ‘Would the incorporation of socio-economic rights into the Human Rights Act increase its popularity with the public?’), Ms. Juliet Harris (2016, for her dissertation entitled ‘The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Scots Law: A case for incorporation'), Ms. Gemma McArthur (2015, for her dissertation entitled 'Has International Human Rights Law Made Room for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Rights within the United Nations Framework and System?') and Mr. Peter Reid (inaugural prize in 2014 for his dissertation entitled 'A safeguard or a Barrier to Justice? The Abolition of Corroboration and the Implications of a Human Rights Based Approach to Scottish Criminal Justice'). 

Once again, the standard of competition for the award was very high. The Centre for the Study of Human Rights Law congratulates Rachel on this fantastic achievement.