MANILA, Philippines — Interns of the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) represented the Ateneo Law School (ALS) for the Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition 2021, a bi-annual international online competition. 

In partnership with Baker McKenzie and organized by Leiden Law School in the Netherlands, the competition was open to all university teams comprised of law students internationally. Teams were tasked to plead a fictional case that involves a dispute before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child between the State of Albion and affected children. For this year’s competition which saw 47 teams representing 21 countries, the case revolved around the issue of children affected by the phenomenon of foreign fighters. 

Coached by alumni AHRC interns, the ALS team advanced to the quarter-finals, where they made it to the top 8 of the competition. 

The ALS team was represented by the following AHRC interns:

• Renz Javier Ayongao 
• Kathleen Gayaman
• Richela Maria Puno
• Dean Alan Recaña

Their participation in the moot court competition is in line with their advocacy for children’s rights, inspired by their work under the Adhikain Para sa Karapatang Pambata (AKAP), AHRC’s child rights desk.