NUS Law student Ellisha Khairi wins 2025 Sheila N. Hayre Prize for Outstanding Capstone Project in Law and Liberal Arts

The 2025 Sheila N. Hayre Prize for Outstanding Capstone Project in Law and Liberal Arts goes to Ellisha Khairi ’25 for “Blue Helmets Off: Unmasking Sexual Misconduct in UN Peacekeeping and Proposing Reforms to Maximise Justice for Victims”, supervised by Professor Simon Chesterman (NUS Law) and Assistant Professor Steve Monroe (Political Science, Yale-NUS College).

The prize is given to recognise students who have produced a capstone project that exemplifies academic rigour and originality and makes a contribution to the field of study. This prize is made possible by the founding president of Yale-NUS College, Professor Pericles Lewis, and is named in honour of his wife, Sheila N. Hayre, who was a senior lecturer at NUS Law.

This capstone critically examines the persistent issue of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations (UN) peacekeepers, a problem that has plagued peacekeeping operations (PKOs) since the 1990s. Despite the UN’s zero-tolerance policy, accountability remains elusive due to systemic barriers, including the exclusive jurisdiction of troop-contributing countries (TCCs) and the fragile legal institutions of host states (HS) that prevent any prosecution and/or justice from being enacted.

To centre victims’ needs at the heart of the criminal justice system, Ellisha used a solution-based approach by weighing different possible solutions for victims of sexual misconduct to gain justice: retaining the status quo which provides TCCs with exclusive criminal jurisdiction, the possibility of HS jurisdiction, ex gratia payments to compensate victims and, lastly, the hybrid courts model which combines international oversight with HS capacity-building.

Ellisha argues that hybrid courts offer the most pragmatic solution, putting the interests of victims at the heart of the justice process. Hybrid courts—seen as internationalised national courts which combine both the local and international elements of criminal justice—would provide victims with the justice that they seek. As compared to the other canvassed solutions, the hybrid court model would still allow TCCs to retain primary jurisdiction while involving international actors when TCCs are unwilling or unable to act, thus balancing sovereignty with accountability, ensuring victim participation, and deterring future misconduct. Ellisha’s project is an excellent example of double-degree programme capstones that showcase the dual influence of their LLB and liberal arts education.

Professor Chesterman said, “Ellisha’s thoughtful and thought-provoking capstone takes a topic that is frequently the subject of indignation and activism, then applies a rigorous analysis that takes into account the complexity of the actions in question, the motivations and status of the various actors, the diverse jurisdictional and political factors that complicate any proposed outcome, as well as the further challenges that arise from the backdrop of war and instability.

“She swiftly worked her way through the alphabet soup of UN acronyms and the immunity questions to focus her research on what would maximise justice for victims of sexual misconduct. Her work is mature without being unfeeling—blending legal analysis, political assessment, as well as appropriate use of case studies that provide context without falling into sensationalism.”

Ellisha received a monetary award of $3,000 and was acknowledged at the Yale-NUS Graduation Ceremony on 14 May 2025.