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Prof. Puja Kapai Paryani

Associate Professor

Convenor, Women’s Studies Research Centre
Director, Social Justice Summer Internship

Master of Laws (LLM), Harvard Law School
Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL), The University of Hong Kong
Bachelor of Laws (LLB), The University of Hong Kong
Barrister of the High Court of the Hong Kong SAR (non-practising)

Biography

Puja Kapai is a multi-award winning researcher, academic and community justice advocate. She is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law and Convenor of the Women’s Studies Research Centre at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).  Her expertise lies in international human rights law, minority rights, and intersectional legal studies, focusing on the rights of marginalised communities. She has researched and published widely in international human rights law, minority rights, and intersectional legal studies, focusing in particular on the rights of communities marginalised on grounds of gender, race, religion, sexuality, and citizenship specifically in the areas of education, poverty, democratic participation, language rights, hate speech and gender- and race-based violence and discrimination.

Puja’s work has influenced policy development and advocacy across legal and service sectors in Hong Kong especially in respect of racial equality and violence against women. Her comprehensive reports on the Status of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong 1997-2014 and the intersectional challenges experienced by ethnic minority victims of domestic violence broke new ground in putting these issues on the map in HK. Her report on the Help-Seeking Behaviours of Ethnic Minority and Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence led to the establishment of a Subcommittee in the Hong Kong Legislative Council to comprehensively examine policies and provisions, calling for a shift in strategies to deliver culturally responsive support and equal access to services to ensure the protection of all women against violence. In 2019, she published Doing Equality Consciously, the first study on unconscious bias in Asia. Her work and recommendations have been presented to the HK Legislative Council, the Poverty Commission and the UN CERD Committee, leading to shifts in policy implementation.

Puja is a frequent Keynote Speaker and was recently invited to speak on minority girls in education at the UN Forum on Minority Issues in 2019 and on hate speech at the UN Asia Pacific Regional Forum on Minority Issues in 2020. Puja received the International Women of Courage Award 2015, the Faculty of Law’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2016, HKU’s Knowledge Exchange Award 2017 and the American Chamber of Commerce’s Professional Woman of the Year Award 2019. Her work has garnered international recognition and she has been shortlisted as one of ten global finalists for the 2021 Global Pluralism Award awarded by the Global Centre for Pluralism in Canada in recognition of her contributions to advancing pluralism, inclusion and equality of access and enjoyment of human rights for all.

Puja sits on the boards of numerous NGOs, has made deputations before the Hong Kong Legislative Council and the United Nations Treaty Bodies on multiple occasions. She is also regularly interviewed by Hong Kong and international media on issues spanning her wide range of expertise, including the Washington Post, New York Times, BBC, Al Jazeera, ABC, CNBC, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Free Press, among others.

Research Area

  • Racial
  • Gender Justice
  • Equality and Non-Discrimination
  • Minority Rights
  • Hate Speech
  • Right to and Equal Access to Education
  • Multidimensional Poverty
  • Violence Against Women and Girls
  • Democratic Participation and Deliberative Theory


SSRN
ORCID
HKU Scholars Hub
609, Cheng Yu Tung Tower
Faculty of Law
Centennial Campus
The University of Hong Kong
Pokfulam Road, Pokfulam
Hong Kong


SSRN
ORCID
HKU Scholars Hub
609, Cheng Yu Tung Tower
Faculty of Law
Centennial Campus
The University of Hong Kong
Pokfulam Road, Pokfulam
Hong Kong

Research Area

  • Racial
  • Gender Justice
  • Equality and Non-Discrimination
  • Minority Rights
  • Hate Speech
  • Right to and Equal Access to Education
  • Multidimensional Poverty
  • Violence Against Women and Girls
  • Democratic Participation and Deliberative Theory

Appointments

Fellowships

Adwards

Select Publications

Membership on Advisory Bodies, Committees and NGOs

Editorships

Teaching

Courses

2012 – present: Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong
2016 – present: Convenor, Women’s Studies Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong
2013 – 2017: Director, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, The University of Hong Kong
2011 – present: Director, Social Justice Summer Internship, The University of Hong Kong
2010 – 2013: Deputy Director, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, The University of Hong Kong
2009 – 2011: Deputy Director, Social Justice Summer Internship, The University of Hong Kong
2006 – 2012: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong
2005 – 2006: Senior Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong

2012: Visiting Research Fellow, McGill Centre for Human Rights and Pluralism, McGill University, Canada
2009 – 2012: Visiting Research Fellow, University of New South Wales, Australia
2010: ASLI Fellow, Asian Law Institute, National University of Singapore

2019 American Chamber of Commerce, Women of Influence Professional of the Year Award
2017 Knowledge Exchange Award, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong
2017 Research Excellence Framework Impact Study Incentive Award, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong
2016 Teaching Excellence Award, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong
2015 8th International Women of Courage Hong Kong Award, United States of America, Secretary of State
2011 Overseas University Fellowship Award, University of Hong Kong
2008 Scholarship, Train the Trainer Regional Workshop on the Convention for the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women, International Women’s Rights Action Watch, Asia Pacific, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Refereed Academic Journal Publications

  1. Kindergarten children’s perceptions of the social unrest in Hong Kong, Journal of Early Childhood Research, December 2021, https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X211062728 (with Caroline Cohrssen, Nirmala Rao and Priya de la Londe), 1-17.

 

  1. Undue Influence and Unconscionability in Comparative Common Law: Delivering Contextualized Justice for Minority Sureties, Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems, (2019) Vol. 28(2), 361-448.

 

  1. The Human Rights of Women in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law, (2013) Vol. 14(2).

 

  1. “Developing Capacities for Inclusive Citizenship in Multicultural Societies: The Role of Deliberative Theory and Citizenship Education,” (2012) Public Organization Review 12(3), 277-298.

 

  1. “A Principled Approach Towards Judicial Review: Lessons from W v Registrar of Marriages,” (2011) 41 Hong Kong Law Journal 49-75.

 

  1. The Hong Kong Equal Opportunities Commission: Calling for a New Avatar, (2009) Hong Kong Law Journal 39(2) 339-359.

 

  1. “The Same Difference: Protecting Same-Sex Couples Under the Domestic Violence Ordinance,” (2009) 4(1) Asian Journal of Comparative Law, 237-269.

 

  1. “Hanging in a Balance: Freedom of Expression and Religion,” (2009) 15 Buffalo Human Rights Law Review, 41-80, (with Dr. Anne SY Cheung).

 

  1. “The New Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: An Effective Mechanism for Justiciability?” (2008) 2 Soochow Law Journal, 83-112.

 

  1. “In Search of a Balance Between Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion,” (2008) 2 Shantou University Law Review, 236-277 (with Anne SY Cheung, in Chinese, translated by Chen Yong-xi).

 

Invited Book Chapters

  1. Andrew Byrnes and Puja Kapai, Article 1, in Marsha A. Freeman, Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Beate Rudolf and Patricia Schulz (eds.), The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women: A Commentary(OUP: 2022, forthcoming).

 

  1. Puja Kapai, #MeToo as Catharsis for Hong Kong’s Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Confronting Cultures of Silence and Shame and Creating Conditions for Substantive Change, in Ann Noel and David Oppenheimer (eds.), The Global #MeToo Movement: How Social Media Propelled a Historic Movement and the Law Responded, (Full Court Press: 2020), Chapter 25.

 

  1. “From Exclusion to Belonging: Ruminations from a Dialogic Diasporic Journey Across My Colliding Worlds,” In Ailin Iwan and Wing Wah Law (eds.), Diaspora Experiences in a Global Age: The Complexity of Transnational Migration and Citizenship(Philia Earth: 2020).

 

  1. Liz Jackson, Puja Kapai, Shiru Wang, Ching Yin Leung, Youth Civic Engagement in Hong Kong: A Glimpse into Two Systems Under One China, in Catherine Broom (ed.), Youth Civic Engagement in a Globalized World: Citizenship Education in Comparative Perspective. (Palgrave Macmillan: 2016), 59-86.

 

  1. “Bringing Intersectionality Home: Delivering Contextualised Justice in Gender Based Violence,” In Amy Barrow and Joy Chia (eds.), Gender, Violence and the State in Asia, (Routledge: 2016), 148-166.

 

  1. “Minority Women: A Struggle for Equal Protection Against Domestic Violence,” In Beverley Baines, Daphne Barak-Erez, Tsvi Kahana (eds.), Feminist Constitutionalism: Global Perspectives, (Cambridge University Press: 2012).

 

  1. The Doctrine of Substantive Equality and the Democratisation of Diversity,” In Michael Kearney (ed.), From Conflict to Recognition: Moving Multiculturalism Forward, Rodopi Press, (forthcoming, Spring 2012), (25 pages).

 

  1. “Building inclusive societies: the role of substantive equality, ideas of justice and deliberative theory,” In, Joz Motmans, Daniël Cuypers, Petra Meier, Dimitri Mortelmans & Patrizia Zanoni (Eds.), Equal is Not Enough: Challenging Differences and Inequalities in Contemporary Societies, (Antwerp: Policy Research Centre on Equal Opportunities, University of Antwerp – Hasselt University: 2011), 24-42.

 

  1. “The Same Difference: Protecting Same-Sex Couples under the Domestic Violence Ordinance,” In Ruthann Robson (ed.), Library of Essays on Sexuality and Law, Volume II (Crime and Punishment), (Ashgate: 2011), 353-386.

 

  1. “Freedom of Conscience and Religious Belief,” In Johannes M M Chan & Lim Chin Leng (eds.), The Law of the Hong Kong Constitution, (Sweet & Maxwell: 2011), Chapter 23.

 

Multiple Influences: Courting Culture in the Doctrine of Undue Influence, in Puja Kapai, (ed.), Reciprocity in Contract, Hochelaga Lectures 2009 (Hong Kong: Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong: 2010), pp. 31-46.

 

Books / Edited Volumes

  1. The Flow of Change: Celebrating Twenty Years of The Hochelaga Lectures (Faculty of Law, the University of Hong Kong, 2018). (with Hughes Tang).

 

  1. The Judiciary’s Role in Safeguarding the Well-being of the Child, Hochelaga Lectures 2015 (Hong Kong: Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong, 2017). (with Sherif Elgebiely).

 

  1. A Decent Respect: Honour in the Life of People and of Nations, Hochelaga Lectures 2013, with Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah, (Hong Kong: Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong, 2015).

 

  1. Reciprocity in Contract, Hochelaga Lectures 2009, (Hong Kong: Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong, 2010).

 

  1. The Ethics and Politics of Compassion and Capabilities, Hochelaga Lectures 2005, with Professor Martha Nussbaum, (Hong Kong: Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong, 2006).

 

Other Publications and Outputs (Research Reports, Op-eds, Multi-media, Policy Papers, Submissions to Legislative Bodies and United Nations, etc.)

 

  1. Child Rights Impact Assessment: A Comparative Study on International Best Practices to Implement the Best Interests of the Child Principle, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong, (forthcoming, 2020).

 

  1. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (in collaboration with The University of Hong Kong Common Core, Sustainability Office, and the Women’s Studies Research Centre), University of Hong Kong, October 2020.

 

  1. Joint Submission from NGOs coordinated by the HK Human Rights Monitor Hong Kong and the Women’s Studies Research Centre (HKU) to the Human Rights Committee on the List of Issues for The Implementation of the ICCPR in the Hong Kong Special Administration Region, China, United Nations Human Rights Committee, (with Law Yuk Kai) (March 2020).

 

  1. Race must not be used to sow further division and anger in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Free Press, 19 October 2019.

 

  1. Doing Equality Consciously: Understanding Unconscious Bias and its Role and Implications in the Achievement of Equality in Hong Kong and Asia, Centre for Comparative and Public Law and Women’s Studies Research Centre, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong (June 2019).

 

  1. #MeToo as Catharsis for Hong Kong’s Child Sexual Abuse Victims: Confronting Cultures of Silence and Shame and Creating Conditions for Substantive Change, Occasional Paper, Women’s Studies Research Centre, 2019.

 

  1. The Dreams of Pakistani Children in Hong Kong, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, The University of Hong Kong and The Zubin Foundation, 2019 (with Ravina Lalvani).

 

  1. #Metoo in Asia: Breaking Down Barriers, Asian Jurist, April 2019. 46-51.

 

  1. #Hongkonger: Ethnic Minority Youth Aspirations, Challenges and Identity, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, The University of Hong Kong and The Zubin Foundation, 2018 (with Gunjali Singh).

 

  1. Joint Submission from NGOs coordinated by the HK Human Rights Monitor, Hong Kong Unison and the Center for Comparative and Public Law (HKU) to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on The Implementation of the CERD in the Hong Kong Special Administration Region, China, United Nations Committee on CERD, (with Law Yuk Kai & Phyllis Cheung) (May 2018).

 

  1. Future Directions in Hong Kong’s Governance: Core Findings, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, The University of Hong Kong, 2018.

 

  1. Future Directions in Hong Kong’s Governance: Youth Perspectives, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, The University of Hong Kong, 2018.

 

  1. Time to confront workplace sexual harassment in Asia, Asian Nikkei Review, March 18, 2018, https://asia.nikkei.com/Viewpoints/Puja-Kapai/Time-to-confront-workplace-sexual-harassment-in-Asia?page=2.

 

  1. Culturally Responsive Policing: An Exploration (with Professor Karen Joe Laidler), Center for Comparative and Public Law and the Centre for Criminology, University of Hong Kong, December 2016.

 

  1. Equal Access to Education Under Hong Kong Law, In Landscape Study: Primary School Education for Non-Chinese-Speaking Children with Special Education Needs in Hong Kong (The Zubin Foundation 2017).

 

  1. Recommendations on Enhancing Equal Access to Education for Non-Chinese Speaking Children with Special Education Needs in Hong Kong, Section on Legal Considerations for Parents and Schools, Infographic (The Zubin Foundation 2017).

 

  1. Hong Kong’s Hidden Stories: My Stories, My Hong Kong, Collecting Untold Perspectives, Centre for Comparative and Public Law Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong, 2016.

 

  1. The Status of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong Report 1997-2014, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong, 2015.

 

  1. Help-Seeking Behaviours of Ethnic Minority and Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence: A Comparative Study – Hong Kong, United Kingdom and Australia, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong, 2015.

 

  1. Children’s Rights Education: International Legal Framework and State Party Obligations, Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF, Centre for Comparative and Public Law (2014) (with Bacon­Shone J., Walsh A., and Wong F.).

 

  1. Endorsement for Family, Religion and Law: Cultural Encounters in Europe, Prakash Shah with Marie­Claire Foblets and Mathias Rohe, Ashgate (2014).

 

  1. Joint Submission from NGOs coordinated by the HK Human Rights Monitor Hong Kong Women’s Coalition on Equal Opportunities Center for Comparative and Public Law (HKU) Women’s Studies Research Centre (HKU) to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on The Implementation of the ICESCR in the Hong Kong Special Administration Region, China, United Nations Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, (with Law Yuk Kai) (May 2014).

 

  1. Joint Submission from NGOs coordinated by the HK Human Rights Monitor Hong Kong Women’s Coalition on Equal Opportunities Center for Comparative and Public Law (HKU) Women’s Studies Research Centre (HKU) to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on the implementation of the CEDAW in the Hong Kong Special Administration Region, China, United Nations Committee on the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, (with Law Yuk Kai) (February 2014).

 

  1. “Education of Ethnic Minority Children,” Submission to Legislative Council Education Panel Meeting, December, 2011, (15 pages).

 

  1. “Legislation and Government Schemes: India, China, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong SAR,” In Community Business Asia (NGO), Ageing Workforce in Asia, (May 2010), contribution to Section II, pp. 17-26 (9 pages).

 

  1. “Building Inclusive and Just Societies: the Role of Deliberative Theory and Substantive Equality,” Asian Legal Institute Working Paper No. 16, Asian Legal Institute Working Paper Series, Asian Legal Institute, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore (2010), Online publication.
2022- Vice-Chairperson, Hong Kong Committee for Children’s Rights
2022- Board Member, Hong Kong Committee for Children’s Rights
2020- Member, Path2Integrity Project
2018- Call Mira, Legal Lead, The Zubin Foundation, Hong Kong
2018- Steering Committee, Kering Foundation
2018- Chair, Working Group on Review of Equal Opportunity Measures, University of Hong Kong
2018- Vice-Chairperson, Executive Committee, Hong Kong Unison
2017- Advisor, RESOLVE
2017- Member, Berkeley Comparative Equality Law Group, Berkeley Centre for Comparative Equality
2017-2019 Member, Working Group on Education Ethnic Minorities, Equal Opportunities Commission, Hong Kong
2017-2019 Member, Advisory Committee on Racial Equality and Integration, Equal Opportunities Commission, Hong Kong
2016-2018 Vice Chancellor’s HeforShe Working Group, University of Hong Kong
2015- Chair, Equal Opportunity Committee Working Group on Race, Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation and Family Status, University of Hong Kong
2014-2018 Co-opted Member, Policy, Training and Research Committee, Hong Kong Equal Opportunities Commission
2014- Member, Advisory Committee, The Justice Centre, Hong Kong
2013- Executive Committee, Member, Unison, Hong Kong (Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong)
2013- Equal Opportunity Committee, University of Hong Kong
2013- Teaching and Learning Quality Committee, University of Hong Kong
2013- Founding Member, Speak for Humanity
2013- Advisor, Hong Kong Translingual Services
2012- Board Member, Association for the Concern of Legal Rights of Victims of Domestic Violence, Hong Kong
2011- Consultant, Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Centres
2011- Faculty Liaison, Equal Opportunity Unit, Hong Kong University
2011-2013 Deputy Director, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, The University of Hong Kong
2011-2013 Discrimination Complaints Committee, Univeristy of Hong Kong
2010- Director, Summer Social Justice Internship, The University of Hong Kong
2010- Member, Women’s Studies Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong
2009- Board of Management, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, Faculty of Law, the University of Hong Kong
2009- Board Member, Asian Migrants Centre, Hong Kong
2008- Member, International Women’s Rights Action Watch, Asia Pacific
2019- Advisory Board Member, Australian Journal of Human Rights
2014- Editor, Asia Pacific Journal of Law and Human Rights, Brill
2012- Editor, International Journal of Discrimination and the Law, Sage Publications
2008- Editor, Hong Kong Law Journal, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong
2005- Editor, Hochelaga Lectures, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong

My courses are dedicated to teaching and capacity building in relation to multiculturalism and pluralism and leveraging best practices of citizenship and understanding for diverse and inclusive communities. Students are introduced to a wide range of tools and materials across my courses which thematically address various theoretical and jurisprudential issues pertaining to minority rights and legal pluralism. The classes require students to complete an in-depth research paper or research study for clinical course offerings such as Law and Social Justice at the Intersections of Gender, Race, Religion, and Sexuality and the Social Justice Summer Internship Course. Both courses have curated a mainstay of collaborative projects focused on raising societal and professional awareness of the following issues under thematic projects: Race Law Project; Refugee Rights Project; Gender Based Violence; Children’s Rights; Anti-Human Trafficking Project.

LLAW3146 / JDOC6179 Multiculturalism and the Law
LLAW3068 Rights of the Child in International and Domestic Law
LLAW3239 Law and Social Justice at the Intersections of Gender, Race, Religion and Sexuality
LLAW2011 Social Justice Summer Internship
LLAW1008 Legal System of the HKSAR (tutor)
LLAW6014 Dissertation

2020 COVID-19 and Global Inequalities online course co-taught with international faculty, Berkeley Centre for Comparative Equality

Previously taught courses:

LLAW1009: Law & Society
LLAW2016: Legal Research & Writing (tutor)
LLAW1001: Law of Contract I (tutor)
LLAW1002: Law of Contract II (tutor)