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Samantha Holmes
Research Associate and Generating Respect Hub Coordinator

Profile

Biography

Samantha joined the Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR) in September 2023 as a Research Associate and the Coordinator of the Generating Respect Hub. The Hub focuses on enhancing norms compliance in armed conflict through innovative socio-legal research. Samantha is currently a researcher on the Beyond Compliance Consortium research programme which aims to provide the empirical evidence, the conceptual framework, and actionable, actor-targeted strategies to prevent, reduce and respond to need and harm in armed conflict. Samantha is also a Researcher for the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict – a network that strives to end rights violations against children in war zones.

Samantha holds an LLM in International Human Rights Law and Practice with distinction from the University of York, and an LLB from Queen Mary University of London. Prior to joining CAHR, she built a career in human rights law practice for non-governmental organisations in Southeast Asia, specialising in civil and political rights, legal analysis, UN advocacy, and the Cambodian context.  

Awards and prizes

Samantha was awarded the CAHR Scholarship for 2022/23 and in 2023 was a recipient of the Sam Pegram Human Rights Placement Award for commitment to reflexive human rights practice. In 2024, she received prizes for producing the highest graded LLM dissertation across York Law School, as well as graduating with the highest LLM average grade.

Research

Overview

  • Lawfare, including the weaponisation of the law against human rights defenders through Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs)
  • The experience of children in armed conflict and accountability mechanisms for violations of children's rights.
    Approaches to reducing and mitigating need and harm in war through generating compliance with both legal and extra-legal norms.
  • Mental health as an impact of armed conflict and the concept of civilian (psychological) harm.
  • Mental health in the field of human rights and among human rights defenders and the over-reliance on 'resilience' as a mitigation tool.
  • The treatment of mental health in the UK criminal justice system.
  • Human rights in Southeast Asia, including in particular, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Contact details

Samantha Holmes
Research Associate and Generating Respect Hub Coordinator
Centre for Applied Human Rights
University of York
6 Innovation Close
York
YO10 5ZF