As international courts increasingly grapple with cases involving children’s rights abuses in war zones, refugee camps, and the digital sphere, a new generation of legal advocates has emerged from the 2025 Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition (CRM).
The competition, organized by Leiden Law School’s Department of Child Law and Health Law in partnership with Baker McKenzie, saw law students from across the globe argue a complex fictitious scenario centered on children’s rights in conflict. The winners of this year’s competition are:
Winner of the Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition 2025 – O.P. Jindal Global University, India (Team 19)
Finalist Team – University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (Team 6)
Best Memorial for the Applicant – Student Programme of the Inner Temple, UK (Team 36)
Best Memorial for the Respondent – University of Tehran, Iran (Team 16)
Best Oral Argument for the Applicant – O.P. Jindal Global University, India (Team 19)
Best Oral Argument for the Respondent – University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (Team 6)
Best Oralist (Preliminary Round Score) – Debora Mihaleva, Plovdiv University, Bulgaria
Angela Vigil, Pro Bono Partner and Executive Director of Global Pro Bono at Baker McKenzie, emphasized the importance of engaging law students early in their careers: “Children’s rights cannot be realized without legal heroes. We hope this competition inspires law students to dedicate their talents, whether as pro bono volunteers or full-time public interest lawyers, to the cause of children’s rights and we hope this competition serves as one way of introducing, strengthening or deepening the commitment of these future heroes to take up this important cause.”
Professor Dr. Ton Liefaard, Leiden Law School added: “The Children’s Rights Moot Court provides law students from around the world the opportunity to participate in a global competition entirely devoted to topical children’s rights issues. It raises awareness among participants that children’s rights as a field of international law is critical for the protection of children who find themselves in most difficult and also life-threatening circumstances. It also emphasizes that access to justice for children is crucial for holding both state and non-state actors accountable.”
This year’s competition took place entirely online, ensuring accessibility for law students worldwide. The fictitious scenario places children at the center of a legal dispute in a conflict zone, highlighting real-world issues of accountability for grave violations of children’s rights. This year, 31 teams comprising over 110 students from almost 20 countries participated in the competition, which was scheduled over 270 hours with the support of over 200 volunteers globally.
The final rounds were judged by a distinguished panel of international legal experts, including:
Presiding Judge:
Leila Zerrougui
Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
Judges:
Professor Dr. Ann Skelton
Former Chair United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
Chair on Children’s Rights in a Sustainable World, Leiden University
Benoit Van Keirsbilck
Member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
Dr. Fikire Tinsae Birhane
Case author
Lecturer of Laws and Human Rights, School of Law, Hawassa University, Ethiopia
Jaime Trujillo
Partner, Baker McKenzie
Firm Co-Chair of the Children's Rights Moot Court 2025
Professor Dr. Ann Skelton, judge and former chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, underscored the urgency of the issue: “This year’s complex problem is set in a war zone, and that was inspired by the fact that in the real world today, we see children at the vortex of armed conflict. There is a lack of accountability for grave violations of children’s rights. That is why the Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition is driving the development of a new generation of children’s rights lawyers with hard skills – to be equipped for a tough world where we need to tenaciously argue for children’s rights.”
The Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition, first launched in 2014 to mark the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, has since grown into a leading platform for training the next generation of children’s rights advocates.
The 2025 CRM takes place against the backdrop of increased legal scrutiny of children’s rights abuses worldwide.
Leiden University serves as an internationally renowned centre of expertise on international children’s rights hosting among others the UNICEF Chair in Children’s Rights, the Leiden Children’s Rights Observatory and the Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights.
Baker McKenzie has long prioritized children’s rights as a core pillar of its global pro bono work, providing legal support to organizations fighting for children’s protection. Through this Moot Court, the Firm is proud to continue its commitment to training and mentoring young legal minds who will shape the future of legal advocacy.
For more information on the Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition, visit: Children's Rights Moot Court Competition 2025 | Baker McKenzie or learn more about Baker McKenzie’s pro bono work: Pro Bono | Baker McKenzie
The competition, organized by Leiden Law School’s Department of Child Law and Health Law in partnership with Baker McKenzie, saw law students from across the globe argue a complex fictitious scenario centered on children’s rights in conflict. The winners of this year’s competition are:
Winner of the Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition 2025 – O.P. Jindal Global University, India (Team 19)
Finalist Team – University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (Team 6)
Best Memorial for the Applicant – Student Programme of the Inner Temple, UK (Team 36)
Best Memorial for the Respondent – University of Tehran, Iran (Team 16)
Best Oral Argument for the Applicant – O.P. Jindal Global University, India (Team 19)
Best Oral Argument for the Respondent – University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (Team 6)
Best Oralist (Preliminary Round Score) – Debora Mihaleva, Plovdiv University, Bulgaria
Angela Vigil, Pro Bono Partner and Executive Director of Global Pro Bono at Baker McKenzie, emphasized the importance of engaging law students early in their careers: “Children’s rights cannot be realized without legal heroes. We hope this competition inspires law students to dedicate their talents, whether as pro bono volunteers or full-time public interest lawyers, to the cause of children’s rights and we hope this competition serves as one way of introducing, strengthening or deepening the commitment of these future heroes to take up this important cause.”
Professor Dr. Ton Liefaard, Leiden Law School added: “The Children’s Rights Moot Court provides law students from around the world the opportunity to participate in a global competition entirely devoted to topical children’s rights issues. It raises awareness among participants that children’s rights as a field of international law is critical for the protection of children who find themselves in most difficult and also life-threatening circumstances. It also emphasizes that access to justice for children is crucial for holding both state and non-state actors accountable.”
This year’s competition took place entirely online, ensuring accessibility for law students worldwide. The fictitious scenario places children at the center of a legal dispute in a conflict zone, highlighting real-world issues of accountability for grave violations of children’s rights. This year, 31 teams comprising over 110 students from almost 20 countries participated in the competition, which was scheduled over 270 hours with the support of over 200 volunteers globally.
The final rounds were judged by a distinguished panel of international legal experts, including:
Presiding Judge:
Leila Zerrougui
Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
Judges:
Professor Dr. Ann Skelton
Former Chair United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
Chair on Children’s Rights in a Sustainable World, Leiden University
Benoit Van Keirsbilck
Member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
Dr. Fikire Tinsae Birhane
Case author
Lecturer of Laws and Human Rights, School of Law, Hawassa University, Ethiopia
Jaime Trujillo
Partner, Baker McKenzie
Firm Co-Chair of the Children's Rights Moot Court 2025
Professor Dr. Ann Skelton, judge and former chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, underscored the urgency of the issue: “This year’s complex problem is set in a war zone, and that was inspired by the fact that in the real world today, we see children at the vortex of armed conflict. There is a lack of accountability for grave violations of children’s rights. That is why the Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition is driving the development of a new generation of children’s rights lawyers with hard skills – to be equipped for a tough world where we need to tenaciously argue for children’s rights.”
The Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition, first launched in 2014 to mark the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, has since grown into a leading platform for training the next generation of children’s rights advocates.
The 2025 CRM takes place against the backdrop of increased legal scrutiny of children’s rights abuses worldwide.
Leiden University serves as an internationally renowned centre of expertise on international children’s rights hosting among others the UNICEF Chair in Children’s Rights, the Leiden Children’s Rights Observatory and the Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights.
Baker McKenzie has long prioritized children’s rights as a core pillar of its global pro bono work, providing legal support to organizations fighting for children’s protection. Through this Moot Court, the Firm is proud to continue its commitment to training and mentoring young legal minds who will shape the future of legal advocacy.
For more information on the Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition, visit: Children's Rights Moot Court Competition 2025 | Baker McKenzie or learn more about Baker McKenzie’s pro bono work: Pro Bono | Baker McKenzie
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