Minnesota Law’s Human Rights Center Works with U.N. Women to Advance Global Human Rights

During the spring semester, second-year law student Madeleine Kim ’25 spent hours poring over reports about the Nepali Civil War, which lasted a decade starting in the mid-1990s. She dug into the nuances of Nepali law, researched legislative reforms that happened in the aftermath of the war, and studied their impact on women and the LGBTIQ+ community. 

At the end of the semester, along with two other students, Kim presented their findings to U.N. Women, which will eventually publish them in a larger report on transitional justice. It was all part of a unique partnership between UN Women and the Law School’s Human Rights Center.

For the students, it was an unforgettable experience.

“Coming into law school, international law was something that I wanted to focus on,” said Kim, who chose the University of Minnesota for its international law faculty and the Human Rights Center, one of the first in the country. “Having this experience gave me much more insight into the path that would allow me to end up working at the U.N. someday.”

The project was made possible thanks to law school alum Megan Manion ‘16, who turned out to be a great role model for students like Kim. Manion returned to her alma mater and the Human Rights Center in 2020 as senior legal advisor to Minnesota law professor and former UN special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights Fionnuala Ní Aoláin. Manion spent most of her time serving in this role, but she also made time to teach a class on women’s human rights and facilitated the Human Rights Center’s externship program with UN Women. Prior to returning to the Law School, Manion worked for U.N. Women for four years in the field in Afghanistan and at U.N. Headquarters in New York.