Wenxin Li
Postgraduate Research Student
MA (Distinction) (QMUL, University of London); LLB (Hons) (Peking University, China)
Email: wenxin.li@qmul.ac.uk
Thesis title:
The Children of Internal Migrants in China and their Rights to Education - a Long Journey towards a Harmonious Society
Supervisors:
Professor Kate Malleson and Professor Jonathan Herring
Research interests:
International Law and children’s rights, Human rights and civil liberties
Biography:
Wenxin obtained her LLB from Peking University in China. She commenced her legal career as a paralegal at White & Case LLP, Beijing. Wenxin passed the National Bar Examination in 2005 and obtained a license to practice law in China after completing a year traineeship at White& Case. She also worked for the High Court at Civil Division as a law clerk for two years in Beijing. In the meantime, Wenxin did her first Pro Bono job for a local NGO that specifically promotes and protects the rights of marginalised children to education in Western China in 2007.
In order to pursue her passion and interests in the protection of children’s rights and of human rights in general, which were developed during her undergraduate education at Peking University, Wenxin came to Queen Mary to study her MA Law by Research in Child Law. In 2009, she successfully completed her MA with Distinction. Now she is a current research student in Child Law at Queen Mary. Wenxin is passionate about her research in children’s rights, and this passion both enhances her scholastic ability and gives her a certainty that she intends to work in the area of children’s rights after completing her doctorate.
Description of doctoral research:
In 2006 the Chinese Government adopted a policy of establishing a harmonious society which included a commitment to social justice, equality and the rule of law. In the light of this general commitment to the implementation of legal rights by the state, this research will examine the rights of children to education in China. It focuses on the specific problems experienced by the children of internal migrants in accessing education in both state and private schools. It will review the legal rights to education of migrant children in China under both international and domestic law and assess the extent to which these legal commitments are met in practice. Case studies will be carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of policies which have been developed in those areas to address the difficulties faced by migrant children in accessing education. The research will analyse the role played by the national householder registration system (the hukou system) in restricting the ability of the children of internal migrants to access education and the proposals for reform of this system.