08/08/2025
๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ข๐๐ฌ โ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐ผ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ: ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ก๐ค๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ง-๐ฝ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐พ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐จ ๐ฝ๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ค๐. ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ซ๐ ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ก๐ฌ๐๐จ
The Centre for Gender Studies, University of Kelaniya, proudly hosted the 4th Oration on 27th July 2025 during the International Conference on Child Protection 2025, held at the Auditorium, Faculty of Computing & Technology, University of Kelaniya.
Delivering this yearโs oration titled โA Promethean Moment: Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence and Coded Biasโ, Professor Rangita de Silva de Alwis brought to the stage an unmatched blend of scholarship, leadership, and global influence in the field of human rights, gender equality, and international law.
Prof. de Silva de Alwis serves as Distinguished Faculty on Law and Global Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Wharton Business School. A globally recognized scholar on international human rights and Women, Peace & Security, her publications have appeared in leading law reviews of Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Berkeley, Duke, Georgetown, UCLA, Oxford, and Cambridge.
Her illustrious career includes roles as Visiting Faculty at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Senior Fellow at the Harvard Law School Center for the Legal Profession, and Hillary Rodham Clinton Distinguished Global Fellow on Gender Equity at Georgetownโs Institute for Women, Peace and Security. She currently serves as Visiting Fellow at Oxford University (2023โ2025).
Prof. de Silva de Alwis is a member of the UN CEDAW treaty body, where she serves as Chair of the Individual Complaints mechanism and Co-Chair on Women, Peace and Security. Additionally, she is Vice Chair of the International Bar Associationโs Human Rights Council, Adviser to the President of the UN General Assembly, and Co-Chair of the High-Level Working Group on Global Gender Justice.
An alumna of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, she earned her Master of Laws (LL.M.) and Doctorate in Law (S.J.D.) from Harvard Law School, where she was honored as a โWoman of Inspirationโ.
Her oration addressed the urgent intersection of technology, gender-based violence, and algorithmic bias, calling for stronger legal, institutional, and societal safeguards to ensure that the digital age serves as a force for equality rather than oppression. The lecture inspired a thought-provoking dialogue among policymakers, academics, practitioners, and students, marking a milestone in the Centreโs ongoing mission to advance gender justice and human rights.
