Alumna and professor part of $2.5M SSHRC-funded project 

A partnership of leading Canadian organizations and academics, involving Jayne Stoyles of Law’96 and Professor Darryl Robinson, has been awarded a $2.5-million, five-year grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to improve justice for victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Within a network of 22 academic researchers and 12 institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the partners will investigate criminal, civil, and administrative law remedies for victims of international crimes.

Stoyles, the project’s co-director, was involved in its genesis several years ago when the organization she led, the Canadian Centre for International Justice, was researching international crimes for a database launched by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. She and her colleagues from various clinics, NGOs and academic institutions across Canada decided to formalize their partnership and apply for additional funding. 

Their reaction when the grant was awarded? “We were thrilled, primarily because of this sense of enormous potential for impact because this work is ultimately about helping end mass atrocities and contributing to international peace and security,” she says.

Part of this sense of possibility stems from the project’s scope; it goes far beyond any one research project to comprehensively examine all forms of redress for international atrocities. Most importantly, the research will be put into practice with the project’s partner organizations. 

Robinson, chair of the partnership’s criminal response axis and recipient of a separate SSHRC grant to research contemporary crimes against humanity, says the collaborative nature of the project is key. “We plan to propose and test innovations that have practical impact,” he says. “Research and new ideas will assist jurists and lawmakers, and the experiences in turn will fuel new research questions.” 

While working with such a big team of NGOs, clinics and academics can be logistically challenging, it is also an opportunity for coordinated and effective work among Canadian leaders in this field. Indeed, one of the core aims of the project is to solidify Canadian contributions to this area of international law. 

“Canada played a central role in early efforts to strengthen justice for victims of atrocities,” says Robinson. “Our project aims to re-invigorate that Canadian contribution of expertise and ideas.” 

Stoyles, who is currently Executive Director of Amnesty International Canada, agrees that an overarching goal of the project is to put Canada back on the map in international law: “Individual Canadians and NGOs have done tremendous work, but this will ensure that Canadian expertise on this issue is offered in a more coordinated and effective way to allow for the best possible contribution we can make.” 

Law students can also get excited about the project, with Robinson underlining that “a central priority is to provide training and opportunities for students.” Stoyles herself completed an internship in Honduras during her time at Queen’s Law and encourages students to get involved with the project’s partner clinics and NGOs, or to become research assistants with the universities involved. 

Students will surely find that a common denominator among all these different partners is a deep passion for international law and a drive to secure justice for victims. Right from the beginning, Stoyles emphasizes, “We didn't want just research for its own sake, but for it to actually be used in a way that helps survivors get justice.” It certainly seems off to a good start.

By Emily Lieffers