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Biography
Zinhle Koza is a PhD Candidate in the School of Law at the University of Nottingham, funded by the Emma Smith Scholarship (UKZN). Her research focuses on children's rights in conflict and post-conflict settings, examining the legal, administrative and practical barriers faced by children born of war in exercising their CRC rights during childhood. Her project adopts a socio-legal design that combines doctrinal research with in-depth qualitative fieldwork in Northern Uganda, developing evidence-based recommendations that connect research, policy and community-informed practice.
Alongside her doctoral work, Zinhle has built wide-ranging experience across public engagement, research, administration and youth-centred advocacy. As a Public Engagement Ambassador for the University's Institute for Policy and Engagement, she supported large community events such as Science in the Park, the Sustainable Growth Assembly and the Green Hustle Festival. She contributed to the University's Sustainable Growth Assembly Report by synthesising stakeholder discussions and public feedback into accessible, policy-relevant outputs. Zinhle has also served as a Research Assistant with the Human Rights Law Centre's Business and Human Rights Unit, where she drafted a comprehensive report summarising expert discussions on climate change, business operations and human rights.
Her commitment to children's rights extends beyond her academic work. She volunteers on the Nottinghamshire Violence Reduction Partnership's Trauma-Informed Implementation Group, contributing to strategic conversations on embedding trauma-aware practices in services for children and young people. As a Child-Friendly Nottingham Champion with Nottingham City Council and UNICEF, she supports efforts to strengthen youth participation and embed children's rights across local decision-making.
Prior to her PhD, Zinhle worked in the South African government as an Intern at the KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), supporting senior management in municipal administration processes and gender policy implementation. She also gained extensive teaching experience at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, teaching Human Rights Law, Family Law and Legal Studies, and serving as a Moot Court Judge.
Her broader interests include children's rights, human rights law, socio-legal research, trauma-informed approaches, youth participation, evidence-based policy development and public engagement.
Her Linked-In profile can be found here.
Research Summary
Zinhle's thesis is a socio-legal study that explores the status of children born of war (CBOW) within the international children's rights law framework. In particular, it considers whether the CRC… read more
Current Research
Zinhle's thesis is a socio-legal study that explores the status of children born of war (CBOW) within the international children's rights law framework. In particular, it considers whether the CRC rights of CBOW are effectively implemented at the domestic level, using Northern Uganda as a case study.