At a recent event in Colombo organized by United Women Power, Praviinaa Raviraj, daughter of the late Nadarajah Raviraj, delivered a blunt call for urgent reforms to empower Sri Lankan women economically and socially. Nadarajah Raviraj, a respected Tamil lawyer and politician, was assassinated in 2006 while serving as a Member of Parliament and previously as Mayor of Jaffna. He was widely recognized for his legal acumen, commitment to human rights, and courage in representing victims of disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and civil conflict across northern and eastern Sri Lanka. His daughter highlighted his enduring influence as she outlined systemic barriers facing women today.
Raviraj described the economic and social pressures confronting women across Sri Lanka. “Plantation wages remain inadequate, poverty among young women is rising, the care economy is collapsing, and women-headed households—especially families of the disappeared—are left behind,” she said. She also criticized the chronic underfunding of the National Women’s Commission and called for concrete mechanisms for economic dignity, legal protection, and truth-seeking processes for families affected by conflict. Observers noted that her remarks resonated deeply with communities across the country, where women have long carried much of the economic burden yet remained largely invisible in policy decisions.
The event underscored the legacy of Nadarajah Raviraj, whose work in law and politics exemplified courage and integrity. Educated in Jaffna, Raviraj became an attorney at the Supreme Court and worked extensively with the human rights organization Home for Human Rights before starting his own legal practice. He specialized in cases under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and represented clients in courts across Ampara, Batticaloa, Jaffna, Trincomalee, and Vavuniya, often taking on high-risk cases that other lawyers avoided. Beyond the courtroom, he served on the Civil Monitoring Committee overseeing abductions and extra-judicial killings, and in 2004 was appointed an ambassador of peace by international interreligious organizations.
In politics, Raviraj joined the Tamil United Liberation Front in the late 1980s and rose to central positions in the party, later becoming a key figure in the Tamil National Alliance. He served as Mayor of Jaffna in 2001 before being elected to Parliament, where he continued to advocate for human rights, accountability, and justice. His career was marked by courage in the face of repeated threats; he survived attacks in the course of campaigning before his assassination in Colombo on November 10, 2006. His death remains a poignant reminder of the dangers faced by public figures challenging systemic injustice in Sri Lanka.
Praviinaa Raviraj explicitly connected her father’s legacy to her advocacy for women. She reminded the audience that while Sri Lankan society often lauds “female resilience,” it rarely delivers “female justice.” Drawing on her personal experience growing up in a woman-headed household after her father’s assassination, she argued that legal, economic, and social reforms were essential to honor the work of women who have long sustained the nation, from tea estates to garment factories and migrant labor abroad.
The gathering organized by United Women Power emphasized the need for urgent action rather than rhetoric. Raviraj’s call for structural reforms—including stronger protections for caregivers, fair wages, and support for families of the disappeared—was seen as a direct challenge to policymakers, urging them to build a future grounded in rights, justice, and economic inclusion.
