Biography

Dema Lham is an Associate Professor specializing in Criminal Law, Criminal Justice, Restorative Justice, and Human Dignity. In 2016, she co-taught a course on Law and Development at the University of Vienna. She is also the Clinical Supervisor of the Human Dignity Clinic and previously served as a Child Justice Working Group Member and a Technical Reference Group Member for mapping the Justice for Children Workforce.

Before joining academia in 2015, Dema Lham worked as a senior legislative officer at the National Assembly Secretariat. She was the recipient of the US State Deparment Legislative Fellows Award (2010) and served as the committee secretary to two key Parliamentary committees: the Legislative Committee and the Human Rights Committee.

She holds a Master of Law with a specialization in Criminal Justice and Criminology from the University of New South Wales (Australia), a Postgraduate Diploma in National Law from the Royal Institute of Management, and a B.A. LL.B. from Government Law College Mumbai, India. She is also a licensed member of the Bar and actively engages in pro bono legal aid, offering legal assistance to marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Dema is the co-author of Principles of Criminal Law: A Treatise on the Penal Code of Bhutan and Criminal Defences under the Penal Code of Bhutan (JSW Law Publishing series, 2020). Her recent research examines the effectiveness of harsh punishments, access to justice in Bhutan, and the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities. Her work has been published in academic journals such as the Asian Journal of Comparative Law and the Forum for Development Studies.Currently, she is part of a research team at JSW Law working on the Clean Energy for Better Air: Health Impact and Inclusivity project, supported by ICIMOD

Areas of Interest

• Penal Law and Criminal Justice: Emphasizing non-custodial measures and alternative sentencing frameworks.
• Restorative Justice: With a particular focus on children and young people.
• Access to Justice: Exploring legal mechanisms to ensure equitable justice for all.
• Legal Responses to Violence: Addressing violence against persons with disabilities, women, and children through legislative and policy interventions