CRS Seminar: Strengthening Victim Protection: Insights from Canada for Sri Lanka

December 9, 2025

2:00 - 3:30 PM (ET/TORONTO)

This is a hybrid event

In person: 626 Kaneff Tower, York University, Keele Campus

Virtually: https://yorku.zoom.us/meeting/register/LvPzlrSDTGWB72pualLFXA

Guest Speaker: Yasodara Kathirgamathamby, Senior Lecturer in Legal Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka

Abstract:

This research evaluates how Sri Lanka can update its trafficked victims’ rights protection framework by drawing best practices from Canada. While Sri Lanka has recently introduced legislative and institutional mechanisms to support victims of Trafficking, significant gaps hinder the protection and indirectly deny rights of victims. Canada’s best practices grounded in victim centered approach, comprehensive victim services, inter agency coordination offers useful insights for strengthening Sri Lanka’s system. This study highlights key Canadian lessons on for law enforcement, temporary, emergency and long term shelter, compensation, legal aid, and community based partnerships. The research proposes practical, viable, context -specific recommendations to ensure access to justice to trafficked victims in Sri Lanka

Bio

Dr. Yasodara Kathirgamathamby, currently on sabbatical leave as a visiting scholar at the Centre for Refugee Studies, York University is a Senior Lecturer in Legal Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka and scholar in gender, human rights and migration. She has been teaching human rights law nearly for two decades at undergraduate and for six years at post the graduate level.  She contributed extensively to academic research on women’s rights, human smuggling, human trafficking and refugee protection. She has served on national committees and expert panels, including chairing gender equality under the Ministry of Estate Infrastructure, and water supply, focusing on rights of upcountry Tamil women. Dr.Kathirgamathamby, has moderated and spoken at numerous national and international forums on her research areas.  Her work includes research, policy analysis, and advocacy, with publication in these same areas.