Jamila-Madam

Name: Dr. Jamila A Chowdhury
Designation:  Professor
Degree: Ph.D. in Dispute Resolution (The University of Sydney, Australia), LL.M. (High distinction, JDS Fellow, Japan), LL.B. (1st class 1st, DU), CTT (Tertiary teaching, New Zealand)
Phone: +880 -2-9661900 Ext 6846
Email: jamilachowdhury@du.ac.bd

Education

ACADEMIC DEGREES

  • Ph.D. in Dispute resolution, School of Law, University of Sydney, conducted under University of Sydney Research Scholarship, supervised by Professor Emeritus Hilary Astor, former Law Commissioner, New South Wels, Australia.
  • Master of Laws (LL.M.), Graduate School of Law, Niigata University, Japan, conducted under Japan Development Scholarship (JDS), High Distinction.
  • Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), Department of Law, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1st Class 1st (sole 1st Class), Gold medalist.

Trainings on teaching & research

  • Certificate in Adult and Tertiary Teaching, Wintec, New Zealand, competent at the highest grade to teach with 21st century Adult and Tertiary Teaching pedagogies
  • Capacity building for Open Distance Learning (ODL) materials, Bangladesh Open University, March 2006
  • Advance training course on research techniques, Bureau of Economics Research, University of Dhaka, April-May 2005

Experience

Research Experience     

   Ph.D.   Women’s Access to Justice in Bangladesh: Is Family Mediation a Virtue or a Vice?; from 2007 to 2011, conducted at the School of Law, University of Sydney, supervised by Former Law Commissioner  , NSW, Australia and Emirates Professor Hilary Astor and Dr Belinda Smith, School of Law, University of Sydney. Research output submitted to the Higher Degree Research Office, University of Sydney  (2007-11  )

  Fellowship:  Women’s Access to Justice in Bangladesh through ADR in Family disputes: Present Limitations and Remedial Measures with Some Lessons from Egypt; from June to December 2005, conducted under  UNESCO fellowship at Bibliotheca Alexandria, Egypt, under the supervision Dr. M. Shokry Eldakak – Justice and Former Chairman of the High Court of Appeal, Alexandria, Egypt. Research output submitted to the head quarter of UNESCO in Paris in December, 2005                                                 Masters Dissertation: ADR in Accelerating Access to Justice in Family Disputes: Experiences in Bangladesh and Some Lessons from Japan; from 2003 to 2004, conducted at the Graduate School of Law, Niigata University under JDS fellowship (2002-04)

Research  Assistant:  The Law & Order situation of Bangladesh; from November 1999 to February 2000, under the supervision of Mr. M. Hamid- Director, Bangladesh Television, to assess the impact of the enactment of a new law, Public Safety Act, 2000, in Bangladesh.

Publication

Book Publications  

  • ADR Theories and Practices: A Glimpse on Access to Justice and ADR in Bangladesh, London College of Legal Studies (LCLS), Dhaka, Bangladesh.  2013
  • Gender Power and Mediation: Evaluative Mediation to Challenge the Power of Social Discourses, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.  2012
  • Women’s Access to Justice in Bangladesh through ADR in Family Disputes; Eldakak. Dr. M. Shokry (Ed.) – Former Justice and Chairman of the High Court of Appeal, Alexandria, Egypt. Modern Bookshop, Mansoura, Egypt. 2005
  • Violence against Women in Bangladesh, 2004. M. Salma Ali (ed.), Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA), Dhaka. 2005

Journal articles

  • Paradox of Neutrality in Mediation: An analysis under High Power-Distance vs.   Low     Power Distance Cultural Dichotomy, Bangladesh Journal of Law Vol. 15, Issues 1 & 2 (2015), pp 1-20.        2016
  • Gender Parity through Evaluative Mediation: Controlling Disparity under the Post-structural Notion of Power, Dhaka University Studies Part F     Vol.25(1)    2015
  • Cultural Repercussion on Mediation: Exploring a Culturally Resonant Mediation Approach Germane to Asia, 42(1) Journal of Malaysian and Comparative Law, pp. 43-65  2015
  • ADR in Legal Curriculum: A Daunting Progress towards a Pressing Need in Bangladesh, 18(1) Korea University Law Review, pp.3-13 2015
  • Pro-women Metamorphosis in Legal Discourses on Matrimonial Rights: Is Family   Mediation a Speed-way to Reap Its Fruit? 23(2) Dhaka University Studies Part F, pp.127-50 2014
  • Gender Justice in Bangladesh: A Time and Cost Impact to Resolve Family Disputes through Litigation vs. Court Connected Mediation, 22(2) Dhaka University Studies, Part F, pp. 77-92.  2014
  • Unveiling the True Extent of Family Violence in Bangladesh: A Retrospect, 19(2) Pakistan Journals of Women’s Studies, pp. 135-149.  2012
  • Legal Aid and Women’s Access to Justice in Bangladesh: A Drizzling in the Desert, 1(3) International Research Journal of Social Sciences, pp. 1-8.  2012
  • Legitimacy of Mediators’ Power and Techniques of Intervention in Out-of-Court Family Mediation: An Empirical Observation Using the Riskin’s Grid on Mediation, 21(2) The Dhaka University Studies (Part F), pp. 85-112.   2011
  • Gender, Power and Mediation: Post-Structural Power in Social Antiquity. 15(2) Pakistan Journal of Women’s Studies, pp.101-116.  2008
  • Family Court ADR in Egypt and Some Exemplary Provisions for Other Muslim Countries. 2(Especial 2) Dubai International Arbitration Centre Journal, pp. 49-72. 2007
  • Power Imbalance and its Impact on Mediation of Family Disputes. 17(2) The Dhaka University Studies (Part F), pp. 173-182.  2006
  • Accelerating Women’s Access to Justice in Bangladesh. 1(2) International Journal of Women Social Justice and Human Rights, 2006, (ISSN: 0973-4414) pp. 161-84.  2006
  • Women Rights & Discriminations in Bangladesh: Achievements Made and   Challenges Remaining for the 21st Century. 6 (2) Journal of Economics, Osaka Sangyo University, Japan, pp. 47-86. 2005
  • Violations of Human Rights in Bangladesh: Are Islamic Values liable? 37 (3) Journal of Law and Politics, Niigata University, Japan, pp. 143-177.  2005
  • Achievements of and Obstacles to Effective In-court Mediation in Bangladesh: A perspective on family disputes, 9(1) The Chittagong University Journal of Law, pp. 96-124. 2004

International Conference presentations

  • University of Toledo, Ohio, USA, ‘Social Knowledge vs. Power of Traffickers: An Alternative Means to Combat Trafficking in Bangladesh’, paper presented in the Sixth International Conference on Prostitution, Sex work and Human Trafficking, 1-2 October 2009.
  • Curtain University, Perth, Australia, ‘Swelling Women Rights in Bangladesh: Law, Society and a New Promise for Mediation’, paper presented in Creative Margin. 5-6 November 2009.
  • Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, ‘Family Violence and Mediation: Overcoming the Challenges towards Effective Participation of Women in Mediation’, paper presented in Law and Change: Exploring the Role of Legal Research in Law Reform and Social Justice. Post-graduate law conference 2009, June 11, 2009.
  • Asia-Pacific Sociological Association, ‘Women’s Access to Justice through Legal Aid: Performance and Possibilities of GO-NGO Legal Aid Services in Bangladesh’, paper presented in Improving the Quality of Social Life in Asia Pacific: A Challenge for Sociology, 13-15 June 2009, Kuta, Indonesia.
  • Niigata University, Niigata, Japan, ‘Human Rights in Islamic and International Context: Comparative Analysis’, paper presented in the conference arranged jointly by Yokahama University and Niigata University, 26th January 2003.

Teaching

  • Access to Justice and ADR
  • International Dispute Resolution (Arbitration and Conciliation)
  • Criminal Law
  • Legal Research

Award

Scholarships and fellowships

International Research Scholarship (2007-11) for conducting PhD at the School of Law, University of Sydney, Australia.

Asia Fellow Award, Ford Foundation, USA (2006) for conducting research on case management system in Malaysia.

UNESCO Fellowship, Bibliotheca Alexandria, Egypt (2005) for conducting a comparative research on family dispute ADR system in Bangladesh and Egypt.

Japan Development Scholarship (JDS), Niigata University, Japan (2002-04), for conducting 2 years LL.M. with research.

University Grants Commission (UGC) Scholarship (2000), in recognition of the outstanding result attained in LL.B. from the Department of Law, University of Dhaka, in 1999.

Commonwealth Scholarship, Bangalore University, selected by the High Commission of India, Dhaka (2001-02)

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Scholarship to conduct LL.B (Hons). at the Aligarh University, India (1996-97).

Awards and Grants

UGC Award 2012, by the University Grants Commission, Bangladesh for authoring the best research book in Social Science & Law

Australia Day Award 2008, by Australian National Women Council, NSW, Australia for excellence in research on women rights

UGC Award 2005, by the University Grants Commission, Bangladesh for authoring the best research book in Social Science & Law

Attorney Alamgir Gold Medal (2000) for securing First Class First Position in the LL.B. (Hons) Examination, University of Dhaka

Prime Minister’s Award 1995 by the then Honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh for Securing 5th position in the combined Merit List and 3rd position among female HSC examinees in the Dhaka Board, Bangladesh

Australian National University (ANU), ANU-APW grant to attend Asia Pacific Week 2010 – a week long postgraduate conference and workshop held at Canberra, Australia.

University of Toledo, registration fee and accommodation to attend the Sixth International Conference on Prostitution, Sex Work and Human Trafficking, Ohio, USA.

Australian National University (ANU), travel bursary to attend the conference on Law and Change: Exploring the Role of Legal Research in Law Reform and Social Justice, Canberra, Australia.

University of Sydney, PRSS grant to present a paper at Creative Margin – Postgraduate conference held at Curtain University, Perth, Australia.

 

Research Interest

Access to justice, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Mediation, Family law, Family violence, Women and child trafficking, Gendered power disparity, Human rights.

Others

EXPERT SESSION & INTERVIEW

  • Session on ‘Mediation in Family Disputes’ as resource person in 26th Foundation training course for the newly appointed Assistant Judges conducted under Judicial Administration Training Institute, Dhaka; April 2013.
  • ‘সাক্ষাৎকার: বিকল্প বিরোধ নিষ্পত্তিতে বিচারের গুণগত মান নিশ্চিত করতে হবে” –  an expert interview on ADR with the Daily Bhorer Kagoj, 22 December 2012 (p.1)

Lecture at the Faculty of Law, Niigata University, Japan on various human rights issues, 2004 (e.g. “Human Trafficking”, “Acid violence” etc )

OTHER TRAININGS

  • Two-year defense training course participated in the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC), University of Dhaka, 1997-1999
  • Participated in the 1st Human Rights Summer School and Community Law Reform, held at Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), October 2000

Participated in the workshop on International Humanitarian Law, Bangladesh bar council and International Committee of the Red Cross, held at the Legal Education and Training Institute (LETI), March 2002

PREFECTSHIP

  • Prefect (2001-2002), Department of Law, University of Dhaka, nominated by the office of the Proctor, University of Dhaka
  • Games Prefect (Shanti House), Mymensingh Girls’ Cadet College, 1995

MEMBERSHIP

  • Bangladesh Bar Council
  • Dhaka Bar Association
  • Bangladesh Law Association
  • Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association
  • Asia Pacific Sociological Association
  • Law Asia

SELECTED NEWSPAPER COLUMNS         

  • Introduction of ADR in Criminal Cases (part-1), the Daily Star- an English Daily, ‘Law alter views, Law and Our rights’, 02 March 2013, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • Introduction of ADR in Criminal Cases (part-2), the Daily Star- an English Daily, ‘Law alter views, Law and Our rights’, 09 March 2013, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • Human Trafficking – A New Form of Slave Trade in Bangladesh, published in “Focus” of Hurights Osaka, a Newsletter, of the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center, Osaka, Japan; Vol. 37, November 2004
  • Rights of Women in Law and Practice – The Case of Bangladesh, published in “Focus” of Hurights Osaka, a Newsletter, of the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Centre, Osaka, Japan; Vol. 32, June 2003
  • The Social Curse of Throwing Acid on Women in Bangladesh, the Independent- an English Daily, ‘Women’s Own’, 27th September 2002, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • “Women and Child Trafficking in Bangladesh”, an English Daily, The Independent, ‘Women’s Own’19th September 2003, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • “Status of Women in Bangladesh”, Part I, an English Daily, The Independent, “Feature”, 8th November 2002, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  •  “Status of Women in Bangladesh”, Part II, an English Daily, The Independent, 15th November 2002, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • “The Social Curse of Throwing Acid on Women in Bangladesh”, an English Daily, The Independent, ‘Women’s Own’, 27th September 2002, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • “Women’s Right to Divorce in Personal Law & Secular Law”; an English Daily, The Independent, ‘Women’s Own’,19th March 1999, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • “Where Do We Stand Today with Regard to Inheritance”; an English Daily, The Independent, ‘Women’s Own’, 9th April 1999, Dhaka. Bangladesh.
  • “Dower: A. Matrimonial Right of Women”; an English Daily, The Independent, ‘Women’s Own’, 2nd July 1999, Dhaka. Bangladesh.
  • “Pronouncement of Talaq & Dissolution of Muslim Marriage”; an English Daily, The Independent, ‘Women’s Own’, 5th November 1999, Dhaka Bangladesh.  Bangladesh.
  • “Legal & Practical Scenario of Abortion”; an English Daily, The Independent, ‘Women’s Own’, 3rd December 1999, Dhaka. Bangladesh.
  • “Offences that Affect the Dignity of Women”; an English Daily, The Independent, ‘Women’s Own’, 7th April 2000, Dhaka. Bangladesh.
  • “Safe custody: Do They Need Them?” an English Daily, The Independent, ‘Women’s Own’, 3rd August 2001, Dhaka. Bangladesh.
  • “Polygamy: An Assault on Women’s Dignity”; an English Daily, The             Independent, ‘Women’s Own’, 24th August 2001, Dhaka Bangladesh.