Call for Abstracts | From Harm to Repair: Victims and Reparations in International Criminal Law by NLU Delhi: Submit by Sep 21
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About the Organisation
National Law University Delhi (NLUD) is a premier institution for legal education and research in India, established under the National Law University Act, 2007. The University is committed to advancing excellence in legal education, interdisciplinary scholarship and research that engages with contemporary national and international legal challenges.
NLU Delhi has been consecutively ranked number two in the NIRF rankings of Law Universities in the country for the last eight years and debuted in the 201–250 global band (rank 223) in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject for Law & Legal Studies.
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About the Conference
International criminal law has traditionally centred on the investigation, prosecution and punishment of individuals responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other international crimes. However, at the centre of these crimes actually are the victims whose lives, dignity, livelihoods, communities and identities are profoundly affected.
The growing recognition of victims within international criminal justice has consequently brought questions of victimhood, participation, harm, remedies and reparations to the forefront of international legal scholarship. The development of reparations jurisprudence, particularly before the International Criminal Court (ICC), represents an important evolution in international criminal justice: from a predominantly perpetrator-centred model of accountability towards a framework that also seeks to recognise and respond to the harm suffered by victims.
However, significant questions remain. Who qualifies as a victim of an international crime? How should harm be identified and established? What forms of repair can international criminal courts provide? Can financial compensation adequately respond to collective, cultural, psychological or other complex forms of harm? How should responsibility for reparations be allocated? What happens when reparations orders cannot be effectively implemented or enforced? And what can international criminal law learn from domestic courts, hybrid tribunals, regional human rights courts and transitional justice mechanisms?
Against this background, the conference “From Harm to Repair: Victims and Reparations in International Criminal Law” seeks to examine the evolving place of victims and reparations within international criminal law and their relationship with broader developments in international law. The conference is a part of project “ Reparations and Victim-Centred Justice under International Criminal Law under the Research Endeavour Grant (N-REG) 2025-26 of NLUD which focuses on evaluating reparations jurisprudence within international criminal law.
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The conference aims to bring together scholars, practitioners and researchers working across international criminal law, international human rights law, international humanitarian law, State responsibility, transitional justice and domestic and hybrid mechanisms dealing with international crimes. In the same spirit, it welcomes doctrinal, comparative, theoretical and interdisciplinary scholarship examining victims, harm, remedies and reparations within international criminal law and their relationship with broader developments in international law.
About the Call for Abstracts
The conference invites abstract submissions from scholars and researchers working on contemporary questions relating to victims, reparations and international criminal law.
Abstracts may adopt doctrinal, comparative, theoretical or interdisciplinary approaches and may examine developments at the international, regional, domestic or hybrid level.
Eligibility
The Call for Abstracts is open to:
- Academicians and faculty members;
- Legal practitioners;
- Researchers;
- Doctoral scholars;
- Postgraduate students; and
- Other scholars working in relevant areas of international law.
Co-authorship: Submissions may be co-authored by a maximum of two authors.
Sub-themes
1. Victim Identity and Recognition
Questions concerning the identification, definition and categorisation of victims of international crimes, including direct and indirect victims, individual and collective victimhood, victim participation and representation, and evolving understandings of who qualifies as a victim under international law.
2. Domestic, Hybrid and Regional Human Rights Approaches to Reparations and Victimhood
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Approaches adopted by domestic and hybrid courts, regional human rights courts and other mechanisms in addressing victims, remedies and reparations for international crimes, and the contribution of these approaches to the development of international criminal law.
3. Reparations and Transitional Justice
The relationship between criminal accountability and broader processes of justice, including truth-seeking, reparations programmes, reconciliation, rehabilitation, memorialisation and guarantees of non-recurrence.
4. Victims, Reparations and Other Branches of International Law
The intersection of international criminal law with international human rights law, international humanitarian law and the law of State responsibility in addressing victims, remedies and reparations for international crimes.
5. Emerging Challenges in Victim Justice and Reparations
New and evolving forms of harm, developments in reparations jurisprudence, institutional innovations, implementation and enforcement challenges, and unresolved questions concerning the future of victim-centred justice in international criminal law.
Submission Categories
Participants may submit:
- Individual abstracts
- Co-authored abstracts (maximum two authors)
Submissions should be based on original research and may adopt doctrinal, comparative, theoretical or interdisciplinary approaches.
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Formatting Guidelines
- Abstract length: 800–1000 words
- Font: Times New Roman
- Font size: 12
- Line spacing: 1.5
- Alignment: Justified
- Citation style: OSCOLA 5th Edition
- File format: Word document, File Name: Surname(s)_ICLAbstract_2026_NLUD
Submission Guidelines
Researchers, academics, practitioners, doctoral scholars and postgraduate students are invited to submit abstracts of 600–800 words outlining the proposed paper, its central argument, contribution and methodology.
- The abstract should pertain to any of the thematic areas of the Conference and must engage substantively with public international law.
- The abstract must be submitted in English and in MS Word format only, with a word limit of 600-800 words. Each abstract must include the title of the proposed paper, name and institutional affiliation of the author(s) (maximum two authors), email address and contact details, and a short biographical note of approximately 100 words for each author.
- The abstract should clearly indicate the research question or central problem, principal argument, relevant legal/doctrinal/comparative/theoretical framework, methodology, and contribution to existing scholarship or international legal discourse.
- The text should be in Times New Roman, 12-point font, with 1.5-line spacing. Footnotes should be in Times New Roman, 10-point font, with single-line spacing. All citations should be placed in footnotes and not endnotes and should conform to the OSCOLA 5th Edition.
- The submission must include a declaration confirming that the work is original and has not been published or is under consideration for publication elsewhere. The organizers uphold a strict zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism and the use of AI-generated content in submissions.
Registration Fees
- For Post Graduate Students: INR 1,000
- For Doctoral Scholars: INR 1,200
- For Faculty Members & Professionals: INR 1,500
- For Attendees Only: INR 500
Registration Process
Authors whose abstracts are accepted will be required to complete the registration process within the prescribed deadline.
Registration details and payment instructions will be communicated to selected participants along with the acceptance notification.
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
| Call for Papers | 7 September 2026 |
| Abstract Submission Deadline | 21 September 2026 |
| Notification of Acceptance | 25 September 2026 |
| Registration Deadline | 3rd October 2026 |
| Full Paper Submission | 1st November 2026 |
| Conference | 14th November 2026 |
Submission Procedure
Submission format: Word document
File name: Surname(s)_ICLAbstract_2026_NLUD
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Selected participants will receive further information regarding registration, presentation and final paper submission.
Selected papers may be considered for publication in an edited book/special issue, subject to the applicable editorial and peer-review process. Acceptance for presentation at the conference will not automatically guarantee publication.
Contact Information
Email: [email protected]
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