Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena is a Sri Lankan lawyer, journalist and human rights defender who has researched extensively on issues of gender discriminatory laws, good governance and the participation of women in the island’s politics. She has lectured at the University of Colombo on the law and women and has published on “Proportional Representation, Political Violence & the Participation of Women in the Political Process in Sri Lanka” (in Can Democracy be Designed? Zed Books, London, 2003), and “Is Land for Men?” (Law & Society Trust, Colombo, 2001).

This informal discussion with Kishali on current legal and political issues for Sri Lankan women is a side event during her visit to the ANU, supported by the Research School of Asia and the Pacific, and organised jointly by the Department of Political & Social Change and the ANU Gender Institute.

All attendees are invited to join the participants for lunch at ANU Fellows Bar afterwards (everyone pays for their own lunch).

For further information email Nick Cheesman in the College of Asia & the Pacific (or ph. 6125 0181), or Martina Fechner at the Gender Institute (or ph. 6125 6281).