Claire Breen

Professor Claire Breen is a faculty member at the Te Piringa Faculty of Law, University of Waikato. She holds a BCL from the National University of Ireland (University College Cork), an LLM (International Law), and a PhD from the University of Nottingham. Her research focuses on international law, children’s rights, human rights, and post-conflict reconstruction. She has authored/co-authored five books and over 30 academic articles. Notable works include Age Discrimination and Children’s Rights (2006) and Economic and Social Rights and the Maintenance of International Peace and Security (2017). She leads a 2024 Royal Society Marsden Grant project on children’s bodily integrity and human rights. Professor Breen teaches courses such as Public International Law, Human Rights Law, and International Humanitarian Law. Her work bridges academic scholarship with public engagement, including over 900,000 readers via The Conversation.

Education:

• Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL), National University of Ireland (University College Cork)
• LLM (International Law), University of Nottingham
• PhD, University of Nottingham

Research Interests: Prioritizes children’s rights, age discrimination, international humanitarian law, and post-conflict legal frameworks. Recent work includes intersex healthcare rights and the legal implications of UN human rights monitoring.

Grants & Projects:

• Recipient of two New Zealand Law Foundation grants (supported monographs on peace/security and intergenerational rights)
• Principal Investigator for 2024 Marsden Grant on children’s bodily integrity

Awards & Recognition:

• Monograph Economic and Social Rights... endorsed by the Judge Advocate General of NZDF
• Co-authored People, Power, and Law endorsed by six former NZ Prime Ministers

Teaching: Leads advanced courses on international law, human rights, and armed conflict law. Recent courses include LEGAL442 (Human Rights Law) and LEGAL576 (International Humanitarian Law).