Geraldine Van Bueren
Encyclopedia
Geraldine Van Bueren is a leading international human rights
lawyer. She is a barrister and professor of International Human Rights Law at Queen Mary, University of London
. The Independent
newspaper has described her as one of the stars in the Law Department.
She is a Visiting Fellow at Kellogg College, Oxford, and a member of Doughty Street Chambers
, a set of barristers’ chambers dedicated to protecting human rights. She holds an LLB (Wales) and an LLM (London).
In 2003 she was awarded the Child Rights Lawyer Award. The award, jointly organised by the Law Society, UNICEF and The Lawyer
magazine, recognises lawyers who have done outstanding work in the field of children's rights. She is profiled in The Lawyer in which one incident is described:
She is one of the original drafters of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the world’s most widely ratified human rights treaty. Her book, The International Law on the Rights of the Child (ISBN 0-7923-2687-3) has been widely cited by courts around the world. The Council of Europe has published her latest book, Child Rights in Europe — Convergence and Divergence in Judicial Protection (ISBN 92-871-6269-7), which is also being published in French.
She is working with UNESCO
on a project about how law can be used to combat poverty
.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
lawyer. She is a barrister and professor of International Human Rights Law at Queen Mary, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
newspaper has described her as one of the stars in the Law Department.
She is a Visiting Fellow at Kellogg College, Oxford, and a member of Doughty Street Chambers
Doughty Street Chambers
Doughty Street Chambers is a UK set of barristers' chambers situated in London's Doughty Street undertaking criminal justice, public law, immigration, employment, human rights and civil liberties work. Doughty Street Chambers was set up in 1990 by thirty independent-minded barristers, aiming to...
, a set of barristers’ chambers dedicated to protecting human rights. She holds an LLB (Wales) and an LLM (London).
In 2003 she was awarded the Child Rights Lawyer Award. The award, jointly organised by the Law Society, UNICEF and The Lawyer
The Lawyer
The Lawyer is a weekly British magazine for commercial lawyers and corporate directors, first published in 1981. It is owned by Centaur Media plc....
magazine, recognises lawyers who have done outstanding work in the field of children's rights. She is profiled in The Lawyer in which one incident is described:
- "What would you do if, while driving through a council estate on the wrong side of town, you saw a man on the ground being beaten up by a lynch mob?
- Some people, perhaps only a few, would drive on shaking their heads at how dangerous the streets are while reciting excuses as to why it would be mad to get involved. Many of us might stop at a safe distance, call the police on our mobiles and get on our way. Hardly anyone –man or woman– would get out of their car, stand over the victim and try to reason with the crowd.
- But Geraldine Van Bueren did just that in an act that encapsulates her fervent commitment to the sanctity of human rights."
She is one of the original drafters of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the world’s most widely ratified human rights treaty. Her book, The International Law on the Rights of the Child (ISBN 0-7923-2687-3) has been widely cited by courts around the world. The Council of Europe has published her latest book, Child Rights in Europe — Convergence and Divergence in Judicial Protection (ISBN 92-871-6269-7), which is also being published in French.
She is working with UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
on a project about how law can be used to combat poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
.
Publications
Her selected press articles include- 'Why a supermodel is still such a potent symbol of human dignity and liberation'
- ‘There can be no excuse for torture’
- Geraldine Van Bueren: Britain needs academics to give policy advice The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 6 March 2008 - ‘Why we need more working-class professors’
- ‘Fees: a social injustice’
- ‘Law graduates: fighting for justice around the world’
- Letter: ‘ID: let the people decide’