Exploring the role of domestic law in human rights education

The research underpinning this article has taken place in the context of a research project that seeks to improve children’s legal capability. Discussions concerning the place of children’s rights in this project led the author to engage with the HRE literature, where they discovered an affinity between the aims of the project and so-called ‘transformative’ HRE. This led to the central question this article explores: how might domestic law and domestic legal processes benefit or inform HRE? Basing its discussion around the familiar notion of HRE being education about, through and for human rights, the article recognises that the radically transformative approach it advocates may be considered too radical by some. Nevertheless, taking the topic of bullying in school as an example, it seeks to demonstrate that knowledge of domestic law and legal processes is essential to addressing the rights violations children experience in their everyday lives.