Danushka S. Medawatte is a Senior Lecturer attached to the Department of Public and International Law. She completed her Bachelor of Laws Degree with honours at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo in 2011. Thereafter, she completed her Attorneys – at – Law examination at Sri Lanka Law College in 2012.
She commenced her legal career in June 2012 by joining the staff of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights as a project co-ordinator where she was tasked with carrying out an Advanced Training Programme on Women and Peacebuilding in three locations of Sri Lanka: Colombo, Jaffna, and Batticaloa. The project which was premised on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security has had a significant impact on her career.
In 2013, she joined the staff of the Department of Public and International Law. Thereafter, upon receiving the James Souverine Gallo Memorial Scholarship (2014/15) from Harvard Law School, she proceeded to the US to complete her Master of Laws. She completed her Master of Philosophy degree at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. Her thesis is entitled ‘An Examination of the Legal Framework of Sri Lanka Concerning Enforced Disappearances and Rights of Indirect Victims‘.
She currently teaches Constitutional Law, and International Humanitarian Law at the undergraduate level. Medawatte is the Course Director for International Human Rights at the postgraduate level and is also on the teaching faculty of the Masters in Human Rights and Democratisation programme of the University of Colombo.
In 2019, Medawatte authored the CEDAW Interim Report on behalf of Ministry of Women, Sri Lanka. She is currently the National Lead Consultant engaged in the formulation of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. She is also a Co-Investigator of the ‘Potentialities and Politics of Transformation’ of the Gender Justice & Security Hub. She has also engaged in grassroots level and community level women’s rights work, and awareness raising campaigns for the public as well as state officials since 2012.
Medawatte’s research interests are in gender, missing persons, transitional justice, and constitutional theory. She has published both locally and internationally and has received the Senate Award for Research Excellence of the University of Colombo in 2016, 2017, and in 2019.
For student appointments, please email danushka@law.cmb.ac.lk