Fiona McGaughey

I am originally from Northern Ireland and grew up during the period of conflict known as ‘the Troubles’ and this undoubtedly led to my interest in international human rights law. I worked in the private sector for a number of years as a management consultant before moving into human rights and equality-related work in the semi-state and not-for-profit sectors in both Ireland and Australia.

I teach in the Master of International Law and the Law and Society major. I have a wide range of research interests and use socio-legal methods. My key interests at present are international human rights law and the UN system, Australia’s Modern Slavery Act, and research related to teaching and higher education.

Human rights remain under threat globally. Recent developments such as COVID-19 and the effects of climate change on human life pose significant challenges for our discipline.

I love the enthusiasm, energy and critical inquiry of our students. I love having academic freedom to pursue my research interests. Being able to contribute to national and international debates on human rights and modern slavery and building the next generation of problem solvers and critical thinkers is a privilege.

Qualifications

• LLB (Hons) Queens’ University Belfast
• MA (Human Rights) Curtin University
• PhD UWA

Achievements

• Non-governmental Organisations and the United Nations Human Rights System published in 2021
• Winner: UWA Teaching Excellence Award in 2020
• Became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2021.
• Helping to establish, and co-convening, the UWA Modern Slavery Research Cluster
• Member of the Law Council of Australia's Business and Human Rights Committee