Thammasat University students are cordially invited to participate in a free Zoom webinar on Thursday, 12 August 2021 at 8pm Bangkok time.

Cohosted by the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law and the Centre for Gender, Peace and Security at Monash University, Australia, the webinar is entitled, The Nature of Conflict: Is International Law Working?

The Thammasat University Library collection includes many books about different aspects of international law as related to the current situation in Afghanistan.

As the Monash University website indicates,  

In recent times, there have been an increasing number of targeted attacks on civilians in Afghanistan. The conflict in Afghanistan is complex and longstanding, involving many international, as well as non-international actors. As a starting point, this event will discuss the nature of the conflict. The panelists will also consider the extent to which international law protects women and civilians more broadly.

Panelists will include Professor Onaba Payab of the American University of Afghanistan.

As mentioned in an online biography and interview, Professor Onaba Payab is

a self-described “reserved Afghan.” Onaba Payab MAIPD ’18 is modest about her many achievements. Most of her classmates will not know that she is the first female valedictorian at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul; that before coming to Monterey as a Fulbright Scholar she moderated a discussion between former First Lady Laura Bush and then First Lady Michelle Obama; that she is considered to be one of Afghanistan’s future leaders and was recently part of a delegation of Afghan women at the U.S. Capitol. Here, she shares some of her insights with us.

Focus on the positive. I was only a few months old when our family fled the civil war and settled as refugees in Pakistan. But Afghans pride themselves on resilience, and it is this resilience that often remedies the trauma that has ravaged our country. Like so many Afghan refugees, my family instilled in me a strong work ethic, a positive outlook, and optimism that constantly reminded me that besides the difficulties, there were opportunities available for Afghan refugees in Pakistan. While Pakistan was never home, living there for 16 years meant my siblings and I had access to a pretty good education system.

Change happens slowly, especially in nations with centuries of history. Sixteen years ago, no girls in Afghanistan went to school, and the only education available to boys was religious. Now, 3.6 million girls are being educated, and women are taking roles in the government in greater numbers. It is barely believable just how far we have come as a country. We still have much to do of course, but inclusivity is seeing great progress and is perhaps the single greatest defining feature and leap since 2001. To sustain these gains and build on them further, the continued moral and financial support of the international community is vital.

Afghanistan is still a fragile country. Gains can be undone. What gives me hope is the younger generation. We have a very young population: 50 percent of Afghans are under the age of 18. When I had the opportunity to speak with members of the U.S. Congress as part of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, I encouraged them to focus on education. Young people want a purpose in life. It is important to invest in them. Only if we can ensure that opportunities are available for each and every young woman and man to realize her or his full potential can we hope to realize the potential of the country as a whole. The willingness of these young Afghans to see a peaceful and stable country will definitely lead to peace and prosperity.

Also speaking will be Moh. Sayed Madadi, an Afghan activist working on democratic governance and human rights. He is a member of the Afghan Coalition for Transparency and Accountability, a civil society group advocating for good governance, and the co-founder of the Youth Empowerment Organization as well as being a Representative of the Government of Afghanistan and the Afghan Peace Council.

Other participants will include Ms.  Mary Akrami, Director of Women Safe Houses and Ms. Hasina Safi, Acting Minister of Women’s Affairs in Afghanistan as well as Ms. Jacqui True, Director of the Centre for Gender, Peace and Security at Monash University and Ms. Azadah Raz Mohammad, a PhD Candidate at Melbourne University who holds an LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights from University of Essex, and a second LLM in International Criminal Law as a Fulbright Scholar from Ohio State University.

She has worked on humanitarian and human rights related projects in close collaboration with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Afghan Ministry of Justice amongst other. Besides, she has worked with the Administrative Office of Afghan President and as an adjunct lecturer of law at American University of Afghanistan.

The event will be moderated by Professor Felicity Gerry QC, Barrister in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Professor Gerry is Honorary Professor at Salford University, UK, in the School of Health and Society where her research focus is on Autism and criminal law, FGM law and Child Rights. She is also Professor of Legal Practice at Deakin University in Geelong, Australia, where she is unit chair for MLL419/MLJ728 Contemporary International Legal Challenges – topics have included Modern Slavery, Terrorism, War Crimes and Climate Change law.

For further information of with any questions, students are asked to please write to this email address:

law-engagement@monash.edu

The event website is at this link and students may register here.

The Castan Centre website notes,

The Castan Centre is a world-renowned academic centre using its human rights expertise to create a more just world where human rights are respected and protected, allowing people to pursue their lives in freedom and with dignity. The Centre’s innovative approach to public engagement and passion for human rights are redefining how an academic institution can create important and lasting change. The Centre is named after the late

Ron Castan AM QC, a passionate advocate of human rights.

We aim to:

Influence government policy and legislation

Provide accessible public education on human rights

Provide students with outstanding opportunities

We work to influence legislation and government policy, improve government officials’ understanding of human rights in Australia and elsewhere and nurture the next generation of human rights leaders through our outstanding student programs that include sending students each year to leading human rights organisations as part of our Global Intern program.

We also help educate the public on important and current human rights issues. We host numerous free events throughout the year, as well as Australia’s only human rights conference.

Aaron Ronald Castan AM QC was an Australian barrister and human rights advocate. He was especially noted for indigenous rights law as well as constitutional and human rights law.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)