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   Department of Demography

Dr. Swarna Ukwatta 

Head - Department of Demography

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  • Contact details          Office  +94 11 2586111

                                    Mobile +94 71 8667673

                                    E-mail  ukwattas@yahoo.com
  • Qualifications            PhD (Adelaide, Australia),

                                                M.A.(Colombo, Sri Lanka),

                                                PG Diploma (ITC, The  Netherlands),

                                                PG Diploma (Colombo, Sri Lanka)
  • Teaching areas         Subjects related Demography and Population Studies and                                       Research Methodology
  • Research interests  Migration (both internal and international), Gender studies,                                       Ageing, and population and development
  • Awards and grants

A research grant was obtained by the Department of Demography to carry out the project ‘Health issues pertaining to internal migration’ from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Sri Lanka. The study was done under the guidance of Dr. Swarna Ukwatta, Team Leader and the Head of the Department of Demography and supervision of the Ministry of Health and IOM.

 
  • Involvement with other organizations

 

1.    Visiting Lecturer for Faculty of Medince, Sir John Kotalawala Defense University .

2.    Visiting Lecturer for the Department of Economics, University of Ruhuna.

 

3.    Visiting Lecturer for the Department of Sociology of the University of SriJayawardanepura.

 

4.    Visiting Lecturer for the Department of Town and Country Planning, University of Moratuwa.

 

 

5.    Visiting Lecturer for the Department of Zoology of the, University of Colombo.

 

6    Visiting Lecturer for the Institute of Human Resources Advancement, University of Colombo.

 

 

7.    Visiting Lecturer for the Postgraduate Institute of Business Management (PIBM).

 

 
  • Executive and other positions on boards of international, national organizations

1.    Reviewer for the Journal of Sociology Study from October 2011 .

2.    Member of the National Data Committee, Ministry of Finance and Planning in Sri Lanka since October 2010.

 

3.    Involvement in the virtual discussion ‘Global Care Chains: Assessing the Situation and Policy Challenges” from 7-18 September 2009 of UN-INSTRAW.

 

 
  • Editorial work

1. ‘Dutiful wife and mother? Sri Lankan migrant workers in Lebanon, Gender, Place and Culture, A Journal of Feminist Geography, Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, Kingston, Ontario Canada 2012.

2. ‘The effects of eradicating accidental deaths on the mortality levels of Sri Lanka’, Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences (SLJSS), National Science Foundation, 2012.

3. Reviewer for the Journal of Sociology Study from October 2011.

4. ‘Factors associated with Mathematics results at GCE (O/L) examination 2011’, Vidyodaya Journal of Humanities and Social Science (VJHSS), University of Sri Jayawardane, 2011.

5. ‘An assessment of the method of adult mortality estimation from information on widowhood’, Vidyodaya Journal of Humanities and Social Science (VJHSS), University of Sri Jayawardanepura, 2011.

6. ‘Mainstreaming disability into Millennium Development Goals in Sri Lanka’, Sri Lanka Journal of Population Studies vol. 12-13, 2010.

7. ‘Senile memory impairments among Indian elderly population’, Sri Lanka Journal of Population Studies vol. 12 - 13, 2010.

8. ‘Economic and demographic characteristics of poor female headed households in Sri Lanka’, Sri Lanka Journal of Population Studies, Vol. 9, 2007.

9. ‘Determinants of current attitudes to reproductive health among female labour migrants: A study of Katunayake Export Processing Zone’, Sri Lanka Journal of Population Studies, Vol. 7, 2004.
  • Chapters and web documents

Books published

 

1.    Ukwatta, Ukwatta, S. (2012), Impact of female transnational migration on families in Sri Lanka (ISBN 978-3-8465-5945-1), LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing GmbH & Co. KG, Saarbrücken, Germany.

Papers published in books- International

 

1.    Ukwatta, S. (2005), Internal migration of women and development in Sri Lanka, Migration, Development and Poverty Reduction in Asia, International Organization for Migration, pp 181-194.

 

Papers published in books- National

2.    Ukwatta, S. and W.I. De Silva (2000), Development of population and reproductive health policy in Sri Lanka, Demography of Sri Lanka: Issues and  Challenges, Department of Demography, University of Colombo, pp. 32-52.

3.    Perera, S. and S. Ukwatta (2000), How popular is the Western Province among the migrants in Sri Lanka, Demography of Sri Lanka: Issues and Challenges, Department of Demography, University of Colombo, pp.140- 155.

 

4.    Ukwatta, S.  (1995), Family planning, Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey  1993, Department of Census and Statistics, pp. 43-71.

5.    Gunasekera, H. R. and  Ukwatta, S. (1995), Infant, child mortality and Maternal and child health, Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey 1993, Department of Census and Statistics , pp. 102-128.

6.    Ukwatta, S. (1988), Background, Sri Lanka Demographic and Health SurveyDepartment of Census and Statistic, pp 1-15. 1987.                                   

7.    Ukwatta, S. (1988), Husbands’ contraceptive knowledge and use, Sri Lanka

               Contraceptive Survey 1985, Department of Census and Statistics, pp. 59-68.

8.    Ukwatta, S. (1986), Internal migration, Census of Population and Housing1981, General Report, Vol.  3, pp. 52-63. 

9.    Ukwatta, S. (1984), Internal migration in Sri Lanka during the period 1971-

               1981, Statistical Newsletter, Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka.

 
  • Refereed Journal articles

Journal papers - International Refereed

1.    Ukwatta, S. (to be published), Sri Lanka: Modern Era of Migration, Encyclopedia of Global Human Migration, Wiley Blackwell 2012.

2.    Ukwatta, S. (2010), Sri Lankan female domestic workers overseas: mothering their children from a distance, Journal of Population Research, Springer, Australia, pp. 107-131.

3.    Hugo, G. and Ukwatta, S. (2010), Sri Lankan female domestic workers overseas: the impact on their children, Asian Pacific Migration Journal, Scalabrini Migration Center, Philippines, pp. 237-264.

 

Journal papers – Sri Lanka Refereed

                  

1.    Ukwatta, S. (2011), Migration of Sri Lankan females as domestic workers overseas and the children left-behind, Sri Lanka Journal of Population Studies, Vol. 12/13, pp. 1-31.

2.    Ukwatta, S. and Hugo, G. (2007), Transnational mothering: some observations from Asia, Sri Lanka Journal of Population Studies, Vol. 10, pp. 1-25.

3.    Ukwatta, S. (2004), Dominance of females in internal migration Sri Lanka, Sri  Lanka Journal of Population Studies, Vol. 7, pp. 1-20.

4.    Ukwatta, S. (2000), Migration and urbanization in Sri Lanka: An overview,

                Sri Lanka Journal of Population Studies, Vol. 3, pp. 67-84.

 
  • Technical reports

1.    Ukwatta, S., Siddhisena, K. A. P., Perera,E. L. S. J. and Balasuriya, A. 2011, Health issues pertaining to internal migration, A report prepared for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka.

 

2.    Siddhisena, K. A. P., Ukwatta, S. and Boyagoda, K. (2006), Sexual behaviour, unwanted pregnancy and HIV/AIDS of female workers in Free Trade Zone in Sri Lanka, A formative research, A report prepared for UNFPA Sri Lanka.

 
  • Conference papers

Presentations - International conferences

 

  1. Ukwatta, S. (2010), Transnational mothering: Sri Lanka domestic workers, Paper presented at the First Asian Population Conference 2010,  Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, 16th – 20th November 2010.
  2. Ukwatta, S. (2009), Sri Lankan transnational domestic workers: the social and economic impacts of their out-migration on the families and children left behind, Paper presented at the Seminar organised by the Department of Geographical and Environmental Studies of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Adelaide, 7th September 2009.
  3. Hugo, G. and Ukwatta, S. (2008), Sri Lankan female domestic workers overseas: the impact on their children, Paper prepared for the Conference on The Economics of Migration: Children of Immigrants and Temporary Migration, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Canada, 11-12 May 2009.
  4. Ukwatta, S. (2005), Internal migration of women and development in Sri Lanka, Paper presented at the Regional Conference on Migration and Development in Asia, Lanzhou, China, 14th-16th March 2005.
  5. Ukwatta, S. (2003), Improvement of Socio-economic Status of Women and Internal migration of females in Sri Lanka, Paper presented at the Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting on Migration and Development, Bangkok, 27-29 August 2003. See also www.unescap.org/pop/meetings.index.htm.

 

 

Presentations - Sri Lankan conferences

 

  1. Ukwatta, S. (2010), How to efficiently complete your PHD, Paper presented at the Workshop to Relate your Experiences as Doctoral Researchers, National Centre for Advanced Sciences (NCAS), Colombo, 7th October 2010.
  2. Ukwatta, S. (2010), Transnational mothering: some observations from Sri Lanka, Paper presented at the 12th Annual General Meeting of Population Association of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo, 27th February 2010.
  3. Ukwatta, S. (2008), Migration of women and family well-being, Paper presented at the National Workshop on Enhancing Social Security Policies to Strengthen Family Well-being in Sri Lanka organised by the Institute for Health Policy and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo, 13 -14 March, 2008.
  4. Ukwatta, S. (2008), Transnational mothering: some observations from Asia, Paper presented at the 11th Annual General Meeting of Population Association of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo, February 2008.
  5. Ukwatta, S. (2004), Dominance of females in internal migration in Sri Lanka, Paper presented at the 7th Annual General Meeting of Population Association of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo, September 2004

 

  1. Ukwatta, S. (2000), Changing patterns of female migration in Sri Lanka since 1981, Paper presented at the Year 2000 Celebrations, Faculty of Arts Auditorium, University of Colombo, 14 December 2000.
  2. Ukwatta, S, (2000), Internal migration patterns in Sri Lanka, Paper presented at the Silver Jubilee of the Department of Demography, ICT Auditorium, University of Colombo, 26 May 2000.
  3. Ukwatta, S. (1996), Unemployment in Sri Lanka, Paper presented at the Seminar on Population and Employment, University of Sri Jayawardanepura, Strengthening Population Studies in Selected Universities – UGC/UNFPA Project, 25-26 October 1996.
  4. Ukwatta, S. (1996), Internal Migration, Paper presented at the Seminar on Migration, University of Kelaniya, Strengthening Population Studies in Selected Universities – UGC/UNFPA Project, 23-24 August 1996.
  5. Ukwatta, S. (1995), Family Planning, Paper presented at the Seminar organized to present Demographic and Health Survey 1993 data to the users, ARTI Auditorium, Colombo, 1995.
  6. Ukwatta (198), Background Information, Paper presented at the Seminar organized to present Demographic and Health Survey 1987 data to the users, BMICH Auditorium, Colombo, 1988.
  7. Ukwatta, S. (1984), Internal Migration, Paper presented at the Seminar organized to present Population and Housing Census data to the users, BMICH Auditorium, Colombo, 1984.
  • Unpublished theses

PhD Thesis

The social and economic impacts of the migration of Sri Lankan female domestic workers overseas on families and children left-behind

MA Thesis

Internal migration in Sri Lanka in 1981 and 1994: A scenario depicting female dominance
  • Graduate supervision

Supervision of dissertations of Postgraduate Diploma in Population Studies students of the Department of Demography of the University of Colombo.

Supervision of dissertations of undergraduate students of the Institute of Human Resources Advancement, University of Colombo.

Supervision of the dissertations of undergraduate students of the Department of Economics, University of Ruhuna.
  • Other responsibilities

Administrative work of the Department of Demography.