Research and Advocacy

I am committed to conducting cutting-edge research on human rights law and policy and developing evidence-based solutions to contemporary human rights challenges. In addition to scholarly research, I have collaborated with NGOs and international organisations to collate, synthesise and analyse data on human rights violations, assess human rights compliance and highlight critical issues affecting the realisation of human rights.

An experienced writer, with skills in designing, managing and implementing qualitative research projects, I can help you with a wide range of tasks. Here are just some examples of what I can offer:

  • legal research

  • review and analysis of domestic laws and policies

  • in-depth analysis of children’s rights in a particular country situation

  • fact-finding and field missions

  • research and writing policy documents

  • drafting individual communications and shadow reports to UN treaty bodies

  • analysis of trends and broader patterns of human rights violations

  • conceptual studies

Dr Jastine Barrett outside a prison in Rwanda.
Research materials and documentation for human rights and transitional justice fieldwork.

Publications

I have extensive experience of writing for policy, practitioner and academic audiences.  Here is just a selection of my publications:

BOOKS

Book cover titled 'Child Perpetrators on Trial: Insights from Post-Genocide Rwanda' by Jasine C. Barrett with a black and white image of a person peering through metal bars.

My first monograph was published with Cambridge University Press in November 2019.  

The book stems from my PhD research and deeply formative fieldwork in Rwanda over a period of five months.

In the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, the Rwandan government made the decision to hold all perpetrators accountable – including children. Thousands were imprisoned for years, awaiting charges or facing conviction. Drawing on interviews and extensive archival research, I trace the journey of these children through Rwanda’s prisons, formal courts, gacaca proceedings, or re-education centres. The book explores how international law addresses the protection of children in post-conflict societies, focusing on the real-world efforts of UNICEF to defend the rights of alleged child génocidaires.

At its core, this book is about how law, when put into action, can protect vulnerable individuals in the most challenging circumstances.

You can find Child Perpetrators on Trial here.

Book cover titled 'Children and Violence: Agency, Experience, and Representation in and Beyond Armed Conflict', edited by multiple authors, with a colorful abstract background.

This edited volume grew out of a major international conference that brought together participants from across the Global North and Global South, and reflects that diversity in its scope and approach.

Co-edited with Dr Christelle Molima Bameka, Professor Mohamed Kamara, Professor Karl Hanson and Professor Mark Drumbl, and published by Routledge in 2025, the book moves beyond the familiar focus on child soldiers to explore the many ways children become ensnared in violence — from military conflict and criminal gangs to political activism and cyberwarfare.

Drawing on contributions from over a dozen countries and a wide range of disciplines, it examines how children enter these worlds, how they navigate them, and what happens when the fighting stops. At its heart, it is a call to respect the agency and dignity of children and young people, and to think critically about their place in global politics.

You can find Children and Violence here.

Book cover titled 'Research Handbook on Child Soldiers' edited by Mark A. Drumbl and Jastine C. Barrett, published by Edward Elgar.

This Research Handbook, published in 2019 by Edward Elgar, is the result of an incredibly rewarding collaboration with Professor Mark Drumbl. Together, we set out to address the persistent lack of understanding of and protection for child soldiers, despite the attention this issue has received. The Handbook reflects our shared commitment to offering a fresh, nuanced perspective on the complexities of child soldiering.

Drawing on voices from six continents and a wide range of disciplines, this collection unpacks the entire life cycle of youth militarisation—exploring recruitment, demobilisation, and the challenges of reintegration into civilian life. Our goal was not just to highlight the adversity faced by these children but also to emphasise their resilience, humanity, and potential.

Through this work, we hope to challenge conventional views and shed light on the often overlooked experiences of child soldiers, while mapping out new directions for research and advocacy.

You can find the Research Handbook on Child Soldiers here.

ARTICLES AND REPORTS

‘Navigating the Mystical – Child Soldiers and Reintegration Rituals in Northern Uganda’ in M.A. Drumbl and J.C Barrett (eds.), Research Handbook on Child Soldiers, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019. Available here.

‘Balancing Pragmatism and Principle: UNICEF, Child Rights and Child Génocidaires’ (2018) 18(1) Human Rights Law Review 31-59. Available here.

‘Different Functions of Rape Myth Use in Court: Findings From a Trial Observation Study’ (2018) 13(2) Feminist Criminology 205-226 (with J. Temkin and J. Gray). Available here.

‘The First Verdict of the ICC: A Qualified Success?’ Blog, Cambridge Journal of International and Comparative Law (22 March 2012). Available here.

‘The Prohibition of Torture under International Law: Part 1: The Institutional Organisation’ (2001) 5(1) The International Journal of Human Rights 1-36. Available here.

‘The Prohibition of Torture under International Law: Part 2: The Normative Content’ (2001) 5(2) The International Journal of Human Rights 1-29. Available here.

‘Legal Review: Situation Analysis of Children Affected by Migration in ASEAN Member States’, UNICEF (April 2023) (with A. Raoof, C. Hamilton, R. Lord, R. Harrichandiran and G. Manccini Pinheiro). Available here.

‘Situation Analysis of Adolescents in Malaysia’, Coram International; UNICEF (September 2020) (with K. Anderson). Available here.

‘Situation Analysis of Women and Children in Malaysia’, Coram International; UNICEF (September 2020) (with K. Anderson and R. Barnes). Available here.

‘Asia’, in Observatory for Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Annual Report, FIDH; OMCT (2009). Available here.