Bochum International Humanitarian Law Clinic
Latest Information
The next Bochum IHL Clinic will take place in the Summer term 2024:
Dates: 18 March 2024 - 30 June 2024, see the schedule below for dates and times
Venue: Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict, Bochumer Fenster Room 4.46-47, Massenbergstr. 9 B, 44787 Bochum
Application: CV, 1 page motivation letter and ToR to timeela.manandhar@rub.de by Tuesday, 12 March 2024 (11:59 pm)
Clinical Legal IHL Education
The “Bochum International Humanitarian Law Clinic” (Bochum IHL Clinic) is designed to provide students with hands-on experience of the practice of international humanitarian law (IHL). The course empowers students to learn through practical experience by applying theoretical knowledge to real life situations and corresponding legal problems humanitarian actors encounter in their day-to-day work.
They will conduct research on projects for real life cooperation partners, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), national Red Cross Societies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, and other actors in the humanitarian field. This may include the preparation of litigation before national or international courts, writing expert opinions to support NGO lobby work as well as drafting treaty language or legal handbooks for partner institutions. Students may also contribute to supporting victims of armed conflict in securing reparations or file communications to judicial and non-judicial institutions on their behalf.
Participating in clinic work also permits students to acquire and develop skills in research, critical thinking, legal analysis, and problem solving. Additionally, students enhance their abilities to draft texts, give oral presentations, communicate, as well as organize and improve their social skills.
Further, the IHL Clinic Bochum is part of the European Erasmus+ funded project IHL R.E.D., alongside the Universities of Leiden, Glasgow and Roma Tre. At the end of the IHL Clinic Bochum, the students, coordinators/directors and lecturers of all partner universities will visit Bochum for a Clinic Exchange Conference.
Who can participate?
The Bochum IHL Clinic is looking for interested and motivated students of law or related fields, who are willing to work in a team of five to six students and are determined to contribute to one of the Clinic projects. They will join students from the Joint Master's Programme in International Humanitarian Action (NOHA Master) and the European Master's Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation (EMA).
Why should students participate?
Participants of the IHL Clinic will not only have the chance to get in regular contact with the cooperation partners (i.e. possible future employers in the humanitarian field), but also exchange their experiences with members from other universities, that are part of an international IHL Clinic cooperation (for details, follow this link). The course will culminate in the ERASMUS+ funded IHL Clinic Exchange Conference, where students from the Bochum IHL Clinic will meet students and academic experts from the universities of Rome and Leiden to present their findings, meet practitioners from the field, network and further intensify their knowledge of IHL. The IHL Clinic Exchange Conference will take place from June 26 - 29 2024.
How can students apply?
If you are interested in participating in the Bochum IHL clinic, please submit your application by Tuesday, 12 March 2024, 11:59 pm to the following email address: timeela.manandhar@rub.de. Your application should consist of a one-page motivation letter, an updated CV, and an overview of the grades achieved during the course of your studies (ToR). All documents should be in English, and be contained in one pdf document, which carries the last name of the applicant in its title.
If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact Timeela Manandhar at timeela.manandhar@rub.de.
Timetable
Submission of final report/paper: Sunday, 30 June 2024 (11:59pm)
Examples of past projects
- IHL in Action Project: students have researched and written case-studies for the ICRC’s 'IHL in Action Project'
- Report on German State Practice and opinio juris with regard to a possible “Right to Access” (in armed conflict and/or non-conflict situations) and Selected questions concerning the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC)
- Report on the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law in Germany: The Role of the Bundestag
- Report on the ICRC’s actions in other situations of violence