Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University (CPJ) and The Asia Coalition (AJC) jointly organised a Systems Mapping Workshop for emerging women legal practitioners from 16- 18 November 2023 (Thursday- Saturday) at a Dhaka hotel. The 3-day residential workshop was launched by AJC’s initiative ‘Women Leaders in International Justice & Accountability’ with an aim to increase avenues to international justice and accountability through women-centered and women-led legal interventions.
In the workshop, the participants conducted and participated in a systems mapping exercise to identify the dynamics, factors and challenges in women’s leadership in international justice and accountability. Specifically, participants focused on the factors at play when it came to access to justice and accountability in Bangladesh in three legal areas: The rights for refugees, other displaced persons and minorities, Mechanisms related to the international justice system, and Restorative and transitional justice.
16 emerging women practitioners in legal scholarship, practice, policy, and research participated in the workshop. The workshop was facilitated by Antara Tasmeen, Capacity Building Lead, CPJ and Jennifer Keene-McCann, Senior Law and Policy Advisor, AJC. The workshop commenced with the welcome remarks and inauguration by Dr. Priya Pillai, who serves as the Head of the Asia Justice Coalition Secretariat.
The workshop also featured guest speakers Bhavani Fonseka, Senior Researcher, Centre for Policy Alternatives; Priyanthi Fernando, Independent Activist; Roshni Shanker, ED, Migration and Asylum Project; Sangeetha Yogendran, Project Manager, AJC; Aakash Chandran, Legal Advocacy and Communications Manager, AJC; Emilie Templo, Programme Assistant, AJC; M Sanjeeb Hossain, Director Research, CPJ, Shahariar Sadat, Director, Academic and Legal Empowerment, CPJ and Dr. Motahar Akand, Visiting Fellow, CPJ.
Participants expressed-they had wonderful experience and being in a room with people who wants to uphold justice in whatever manner gives them hope. They also shared that the workshop was time effective, and participatory. They can utilize the learning of the workshop in their respective field of work.