The Annual Columbia Law School Human Rights Student Paper Symposium aims to foster the development of student scholarship and stimulate debate on human rights challenges and opportunities. We welcome submissions that critically engage with and advance knowledge and debate about any human rights issue, whether related to the law, policy, advocacy, theory, methods, and/or practice of human rights.

 The student authors of papers selected for the Symposium are invited to present their work to a panel of faculty, practitioners, and students for feedback and commentary. Feedback is designed to assist students to further develop their paper for publication. Following student presentations, the floor opens to the audience for continued collaborative discussion.

Tenth Annual Human Rights Student Paper Symposium

New York | Friday, April 3, 2026: The Human Rights Institute (HRI) at Columbia Law School, in partnership with the Columbia Human Rights Law Review, the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, and the Human Rights Association, hosted its Tenth Annual Human Rights Student Paper Symposium. Marking a decade of fostering student scholarship, critical dialogue, and faculty-student engagement, the symposium brought together students, faculty, practitioners, and scholars for a day of rigorous discussion on some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time.

Opening the symposium, Acting Director of the Human Rights Institute and Clinical Professor of Law Tejal Jesrani reflected on the significance of reaching this milestone: “ As we mark this tenth anniversary, it is worth reflecting on what it means to sustain a space like this over time. It means continuing to create opportunities for students to contribute to ongoing conversations in meaningful ways. It means valuing scholarship not just as an academic exercise, but as part of a broader ecosystem of advocacy and change. And it means recognizing that ideas—when taken seriously—can travel far beyond the classroom."

She continued, recognizing the student presenters:

"Producing scholarship of this depth and rigor—while balancing the many demands of law school—is no small feat. It requires not only intellectual discipline, but also curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to engage deeply with complex and often difficult issues."

This year's symposium featured more than 35 participants across three concurrent sessions, including JD and LL.M. students from the Classes of 2026 and 2027 presenting original research on a wide range of human rights issues. The presentations explored topics spanning migration and housing justice, international humanitarian law, corporate accountability, digital harms, Indigenous justice systems, counterterrorism, and emerging questions of global governance and accountability.

Among the papers presented were examinations of procedural protections for international students facing deportation, corporate landlord practices in housing court, the Convention Against Torture's quantitative standard, restrictions affecting migrant domestic workers in Singapore, the use of user-generated content as evidence of war crimes, Navajo Nation peacemaking as an alternative to carceral approaches, and the moral commitments of property law following Grants Pass. Additional presentations addressed nonconsensual pornography, energy accountability in ASEAN, and comparative approaches to the pre-trial detention of terrorism suspects.

A defining feature of the symposium remains the opportunity for students to engage directly with leading scholars and practitioners. Faculty commentators provided detailed feedback, challenged assumptions, and helped presenters strengthen their arguments and methodologies. Their engagement reflected the symposium's longstanding commitment to mentorship, intellectual rigor, and the development of emerging human rights scholars.

The symposium benefited from the participation of an exceptional group of commentators, including Tejal Jesrani, Kelsey Jost-Creegan, Luna Borges Pereira Santos, Dennis Fan, Graeme Simpson, Seyla Benhabib, Richard Dicker, Amber Baylor, Jeffrey Fagan, Kate Redburn, and Akshaya Kumar.

The event concluded with remarks from Abbey Shaska Carbajal, who reflected on the role of scholarship in advancing social change:

"Legal scholarship isn't just a way to scratch an intellectual itch: it provides us with an opportunity to look at our current realities and think of ways we can change them for the better. It gives us a blueprint to aspire to, and perhaps most importantly, it can provide hope.”

She continued: “listening to the caliber of the discussions we've had today, I am reminded that we have tools, we have hope, and there are brilliant people right here who are actively working towards solutions."

The symposium concluded with a networking lunch, providing an opportunity for presenters, commentators, and attendees to continue conversations sparked throughout the day. As the Human Rights Student Paper Symposium enters its second decade, it remains a vital space for supporting emerging voices, strengthening scholarship, and fostering dialogue across generations of human rights scholars and practitioners.

Presenters: Maeve Zhou (2L '27), Anna Pastor (2L '27), Theodosia Catsiapis (3L '26), Quinn Muscatel (2L '27), Mreganka Kukreja (LLM '26), Rebecca Ju (3L '26), Zokaiy Shideh (2L '27), Bitania Endalkachew (3L '26), Charmaine Yap (LLM '26), Lok Yan (Venisa) Wai (LLM '26), Alexis Ferguson (2L '27), Eric Rousso (2L '27), Léa Namouni (3L '26), Kaitlin Nguyen (3L '26), and Caroline Still (2L '27).

 

*****The Human Rights Institute advances international human rights through education, advocacy, fact-finding, research, scholarship, and critical reflection. We work in partnership with advocates, communities, and organizations pushing for social change to develop and strengthen the human rights legal framework and mechanisms, promote justice and accountability for human rights violations, and build and amplify collective power.

 

Details of Past Symposia: