Prof. (Chair)

Rose_02

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BIOGRAPHY

Rose Wijeysekera (LLB, MPhil, Ph.D. in Law) is the Chair Professor of the Department of Private and Comparative Law. She joined the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo in 1995, and has headed the Department of Private and Comparative Law from 2015 – 2019. During her sabbatical leave from 2019-2021, she headed the Asia Pacific Institute for Information Technology (APIIT)’s Law School, which offer Staffordshire University LLB degree. Her primary research interests have been on Family Law, Children’s Rights, Women’s Rights and Gender studies. She’s currently the Gender Consultant to a field-based research on Language Rights, Gender Equality and Women Empowerment’. Prof. Wijeyesekera has special interest in empowerment of women through training, and has trained female candidates to the National Parliament and Local Government Bodies, Officers of Local Government Bodies, the Police and members of armed forces, Civil Society Organizations, Gender Focal Points, Child Rihts Promotion Officers, etc. Her latest training focuses on scaling up supoort mechanisms to women and girls victims of cyber sexual violence. She also serves as a Visiting Lecturer and Examiner at the University of Jaffna, Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Colombo as well as Kothalawala Defence University, the Open University Sri Lanka and the Bandaranayake International Diplomatic Training Institute. She has been a Consultant to the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Women and Gender, Parliament of Sri Lanka, and has served in several Law Reform Committees at national level, including the Advosory Committee on reforming the Adoption and Fostercare Law reform, Law Reform Committee (Children-definitions) both of which she headed, and Family Law Reform Committee and National the Committee which recommended the introduction of law to the national school curriculum. Prof. Wijeyesekera won the Senate Award for Research Excellence (Law) in 2017.

Qualifications, Fellowships and Certifications

  • PhD 2017

    Doctorate Degree in Law

    University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

  • M.Phil 2003

    Master of Philosophy in Law

    University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

  • CTHE 1998

    Post Graduate Certificate Course in Teaching in Higher Education – (Merit Pass)

    Staff Development Centre, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

  • LL.B. (Hons) 1989

    Bachelor of Laws Hons. – Second Class (Lower Division)

    Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

  • LL.B.

    First Examination in Laws – University studentship for Second best results in the batch.

    Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

Contribution at National & International level

  • Member 2021

    Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on reforming the Law relating to Adoption of children and foster care

    2021

  • Member 2021

    Chairperson – Law Reform Committee (Children-definitions) appointed by the Hon. Minister of Justice (2021)

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  • Member 2021

    Member of the Committee of Experts appointed by the Hon. Minister of Justice to formulate ‘Foster Care Policy (2021)

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  • Member 2021

    Member of the Committee of Experts appointed by the Hon. Minister of Justice to introduce Law to national school curricular (2021)

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  • Member 2018

    Member of

    Panel of Consultants of the National Policy on Women, Sri Lanka

  • Resource Person 2018

    Resource Person on

    Gender to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka- Regional Conferences

  • Member 2018

    Member of

    the Executive Committee, Sarvodaya Suwasetha’

  • Member 2018

    Member of

    the Board of Directors – Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA)

  • Consultant 2017

    Consultant to

    the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Women and Gender, Parliament of Sri Lanka

  • Member 2017

    Member of

    the Editorial Board of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Sri Lanka

  • Introduced 2016

    Introduced a new course of study

    - Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Law - for the Masters in Law (LLM) programme

  • Developed 2005

    Children’s Rights and Women’s Rights Law course

    in Masters in Law (LLM) Programme

  • Reviewer 2012

    Social Institutions and Gender Indicators (SIGI) country profile

    for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

  • Editor 2012

    – LLB Course Unit (Interpretation of Statutes & Documents),

    Open University of Sri Lanka.

  • Member 2010

    - N-PEACE | Engage for Peace, Equality, Access, Community and Empowerment

    - A South Asian regional organization.

  • Committee member 2009
  • Member 2009

    - Expert Committee on Family Law Reform

    appointed by the Hon. Minister of Justice and Judicial Reforms, Sri Lanka.

  • Co-ordinator 2008

    Examinations,

    Faculty of Law, University of Colombo.

  • Member 2005

    Member of the Routine matters Committee for undergraduate and post-graduate studies

    (two sub-committees of the Faculty Board) of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo.

  • Member 2005

    Member of the Appeals Board

    Faculty of Law, University of Colombo

  • Member 2006

    Member of the Board of editors

    Colombo Law Review, Faculty of Law

  • Member 2003

    Member of the Student Supportive Committee,

    Faculty of Law, University of Colombo

  • Member 2000

    Member of the Specialist Committee for Glossary Revision,

    University of Colombo

  • Executive Committee member 2012

    Association of the Law Teachers

    University of Colombo.

  • Temporary Student Counsellor 1995

    Faculty of Law,

    University of Colombo.

Professional Career

  • 20192015

    Head of the Department

    Department of Private and Comparative Law, Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

  • Present1995

    Senior Lecturer

    Department of Private and Comparative Law, Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

  • 20192018

    Warden

    Thelawala Hostel for Lady Undergraduates, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

  • 20112005

    Course director

    Women’s Rights Law & Children’s Rights Law course, Taught Post-Graduate degree Programme (Masters in Law -LLM), Faculty of Law, University of Colombo.

  • 20192011

    Course director

    Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Law -Taught Post-Graduate degree Programme (Masters in Law -LLM), Faculty of Law, University of Colombo.

  • Present2021

    Course director

    Children, Justice and Law -Taught Post-Graduate degree Programme (Masters in Law -LLM), Faculty of Law, University of Colombo.

  • Present2021

    Course director

    Women and Justice -Taught Post-Graduate degree Programme (Masters in Law -LLM), Faculty of Law, University of Colombo.

  • 20172015

    Introduced and directed

    Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Law, Taught Post-Graduate degree Programme (Masters in Law -LLM), Faculty of Law, University of Colombo

  • 20192017

    Academic Coordinator

    Postgraduate Diploma in Child Protection and Rights, Centre for the Study of human Rights, University of Colombo.

  • Present2016

    Resource person

    In training prospective female candidates to the National Parliament and Local Government Bodies, under the theme ‘Women as Agents of Change.’ Island-wide training Programme coordinated by Women Parliamentarians’ caucus and USAID.

  • 20192015

    Chairperson

    Library Committee of the Faculty of Law.

  • 20112010

    Course Director

    ‘Refugees, Migrant Workers and Trafficking’ in ASIA PACIFIC MASTERS IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRATIZATION, conducted jointly by the University of Sydney and the Centre for the Study of Human Rights, University of Colombo.

  • Present2010

    Trainer on Human Rights of Women

    • Women’s Bureau , Ministry of Child Development and Women Empowerment • Women’s Education and Research Centre (WERC)

  • 20122009

    Resource Person on Child Rights

    Child Rights, and Women’s Rights for the Sri Lanka Army (Directorate of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law)

  • Present2009

    Visiting lecturer and examiner

    The Open University of Sri Lanka

  • Present2006

    Visiting lecturer and examiner

    Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo

  • 19951994

    Examiner

    University of Jaffna, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  • Present2008

    Visiting lecturer

    Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration, Colombo 7.

  • 19951994

    Intern

    Lawyers for Human Rights and Development (LHRD), Colombo, Sri Lanka