The Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice is a leading centre for social justice and human rights. It provides a vibrant environment at the cutting edge of legal and criminal justice practice which prepares students for excellence in their chosen professional career.

The centre is home to a range of social justice and human rights activities that include:

• research and scholarship work
• global engagement
• impact on policy
• professional training and advocacy

Its central values are those of widening access to justice and education, the promotion of human rights, ethics in legal practice, equality and a respect for human dignity in overcoming social injustice.

The law is the bedrock of a nation; it tells us who we are, what we value, who has power and who hasn't. Helena Kennedy QC

The Helena Kennedy Centre's scope of expertise covers:

• human rights
• criminology
• law
• policing
• probation

The centre works on the high profile projects in a variety of human rights and social justice areas. Research and projects concern Modern Day Slavery, gender-based violence, hate crime and many more.

Israel and Gaza Helena Kennedy Centre Statement

In line with the University as a whole, at Helena Kennedy Centre (HKC) we share a deep concern in seeing the escalating conflict in the Middle East, following the weekend’s attacks by Hamas. We know that this is very distressing for members of staff and the student community, particularly for those from the region and those with family, friends or other close ties to the area.

In HKC we are proud of our links with the region and in particular the Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] we have signed with An Najah University in Gaza. Baroness Kennedy is equally horrified at the awful turn of events in the region in recent weeks resulting in the loss of innocent lives on both sides and we all hope for an immediate ceasefire of hostilities for the sake of every human being affected by the outbreak of violence. We are deeply saddened by the loss of innocent lives in Israel, the impact of the escalating violence in Gaza, and the fate of hostages. We share the concerns of our students and staff over the fear and uncertainty faced by their loved ones in Israel and Palestine.

As you may be aware the University has been in contact with members of our student and staff community that may be affected to offer support. We encourage all students and staff to seek support and make use of the resources available at the University if they wish to. 

Details of these are listed below. 

We ask everyone to support and respect each other at this time. Sheffield Hallam is a safe and tolerant environment, and we are proud of the diversity of our community. 

Support, guidance and travel advice

• Details of our student advice, wellbeing support and other resources are available online. 
• Support for students is also available from Hallam Union Advice Centre.
• If you need to report a serious incident, please use our dedicated Report and Support service. 
• Information about support available for Sheffield Hallam staff can be found on the staff intranet, which also includes the Employee Assistance Programme (these links will work for Sheffield Hallam staff).
• The UK Government has updated its guidance and now advises against all but essential travel to Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories.  

Part of the Social and Economic Research Institute