Kaushalya Ariyarathne: Building a Politically Conscious Women’s Movement in Sri Lanka

Kaushalya Ariyarathne is a Member of Parliament in Sri Lanka, a former Human Rights lawyer, and a lecturer. Having worked for over a decade as a researcher and activist on issues including torture prevention, legal aid for women exposed to domestic violence, and masculinities in South Asia, her political journey is rooted in a lifelong commitment to fighting inequality and advocating for systemic change.

In this Worth Asking interview, she discusses her path from grassroots activism to party politics, the influence of revolutionary literature and family on her values, the challenges she faced, and the power of building a politically conscious women’s movement from the ground up.

Could you share with us your journey into public service and politics? Was there a particular moment or influence that first drew you towards this path, and how did your career evolve from human rights law to your current role?

Kaushalya Ariyarathne: I never intended to be a politician until recently; my intention was always to fight for change.

My upbringing was marked by the challenging political environment in the South of Sri Lanka, where I was exposed to violence and suppression during the youth insurrection. My parents, a teacher and a clerk, were avid readers, opening me up to Sinhala and Russian literature. The literature, especially Russian classics, instilled in me the basic notion that there is a bigger world out there fighting for equality. This was a seed that was planted in my heart. Sometimes I still feel fascinated thinking how did a little girl in a small and remote place get access to such revolutionary Russian literature. It was the time when these were translated and disseminated around the world, and my father had a big collection. From his collection, books like The First Teacher and Jamila, gave me the basic notion of equality. My mother was also a profound influence. She was a very progressive, courageous, and independent English teacher who became the sole breadwinner when my father lost his job due to political activism. Seeing her as a strong character, the breadwinner, definitely shaped me as I was growing up.

The major turning point for me was university life, where I studied law. While formal education in Human Rights and International Law offered a new perspective, what cemented my intention to fight against inequality was engaging with a variety of people, reading groups, and the regular use of the university library.

My initial plan was to be a human rights lawyer. You know, that's the very kind of romantic character of a Human Rights lawyer who fights for disadvantaged communities that you see in movies and all. So that was the fantasy. 

But after gaining my license, I became disillusioned by the colonial and unequal nature of the court system, where the poor and disadvantaged are marginalised. I felt, as an individual, I couldn’t fight in such a fundamentally unjust system. I then shifted to research and activism, working at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies on masculinities in South Asia, and later for a decade with the university’s Center for the Study of Human Rights on issues ranging from torture prevention to domestic violence. I was always leaning towards leftist, Marxist ideas, believing that true justice required changing the whole system, not just making ad hoc changes. It was this lifelong intention to fight that eventually led me to politics.

You began your formal political career after years as an activist. Could you describe your entry into party politics?

Kaushalya Ariyarathne: I always separated my activism from party politics until the country’s economic deterioration and a constitutional coup in 2018 prompted me to join youth and women’s organisations. 

At that time, the JVP was expanding into the National People’s Power (NPP) and invited us to join. I initially joined with the current Prime Minister who was an activist and a lecturer at that time, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, whom you have interviewed before. So in 2018, a group of women who identified themselves as left feminists came together and started the organization called "Progressive Women's Collective", which became the women’s wing of the NPP. We had a vision, we had a very theoretical base where we understood the economy in a very left framework. 

So that's how I entered party politics. But then slowly we realised that this was the only space where we can have our own voice, to bring our own feminist perspective to a very, you know, traditional leftist—of course, most of the parties are male-centric, right? So we found that they listened to us, they were open to us so that we could speak in these spaces.

We started organising women about five or six years ago, from 2019. And then in 2024, after the Presidential election where we won, the current Prime Minister I have been working with closely and she said, well, there's a group of people who decide who's going to contest and I was chosen.

Any barriers you faced in your journey?

Kaushalya Ariyarathne: My main personal barrier was my reluctance to become a “politician.” In Sri Lanka, a politician is often seen as a corrupt, elite figure, and I did not see myself as that material. I preferred to contribute behind the scenes through policy and research. But after realising that to make real change, we had to be with the government, I ran for office.

The main challenge for women in politics, apart from work-life balance, is the intense public scrutiny and gendered expectations. The whole narrative is masculine; we are expected to be “respectable” women, whereas men MPs can seemingly get away with anything. When you become a public figure, you are a constant target for verbal bullying, harassment, and baseless allegations, like being targeted with misogynistic remarks and fake news on social media. This constant threat of being targeted and taken down personally is a primary reason why many young women are reluctant to come out as politicians.

Has allyship from male colleagues made a difference in your journey?

Kaushalya Ariyarathne: Absolutely. The support from male colleagues has been fundamental. My first discussions with the party were with Bimal Rathnayake, now the Transport Minister, and his vision for what we could achieve was 100% positive and was one of the reasons I ultimately joined. Young men, in particular, made us feel very welcome. For example, Eranga Gunasekara, now Deputy Urban Development Minister, was a very active young guy who I would even call a feminist and an ally. These men who are welcoming and accommodating are crucial, and their positive allyship in a political space that is so dominant is pleasant to hear about.

What changes do you believe political parties and their structures could implement to open more doors for women and increase their effective political participation?

Kaushalya Ariyarathne: Bringing women into politics should not be a superficial, quantitative exercise. Simply nominating 25% or 50% of women won’t make a difference unless you build a politically conscious women's campaign on the ground.

Our party launched a campaign called “Gähanu api ekamiṭaṭa” (We women as one) in late 2023. We organised women from the ground up across the country, focusing on two key political themes: bringing unpaid care work into the economy and intersectionality. This massive, cohesive movement has continued beyond the election, with ground-level classes and organising campaigns. I don't think there was such a campaign in Sri Lanka ever. I don't know about South Asia, but it was like a massive women's campaign we deployed. And we still usually what happens is after the elections, these women's organisations are dispersed. But where we still run these awareness programs, we still run these organising campaigns at ground level. We still engage with them in other government mechanisms.

Because of this movement, we had a higher percentage of women candidates in the 2024 election than any other party, and we are on track for a high percentage in the 2025 local government elections as well. The 20 women from our party in the current parliament do not come from political families or affiliations; they are strong, politically conscious activists. 

A party’s responsibility is to take proactive measures to bring women up. Qualitative change is more important than quantitative change. We also need to recognise the ground-level, behind-the-scenes women organisers who direct constituencies and work tirelessly but are not public figures. The women in politics are not only the number of people in parliament but also the quality of the political difference we make and the unseen people behind the picture.

How has your experience been with social media? Do you see it as a platform for empowerment or one that brings newer challenges?

Kaushalya Ariyarathne: I see it as both empowering in terms of visibility and disempowering due to the constant barrage of targeted harassment.

On one hand, it’s a powerful and efficient platform to publicise your work and share news, as nobody reads long newspaper articles or watches long TV news anymore. On the other hand, it is a source of fake news, disinformation, and misinformation.

The other danger is the presence of “keyboard heroes”—people who are not strong enough to say things in public but type arrogant, sexist, misogynistic, and violent remarks online. This has become a political tactic to target and damage women's reputations, affecting many women’s mental health, too.

I was personally exposed to baseless allegations and vulgar comments that targeted my so-called "chastity." At the time, social media made me very angry and upset, but now I’ve learned to focus on my groundwork and ignore the comments.

Finally, what message or advice would you give to a young woman in South Asia who is considering a career in politics?

Kaushalya Ariyarathne: My advice would be: if you want to see change, you have to be there. 

Masculinity and patriarchy are not new; we experience them every day in our families, education, court systems, and governance. We don't quit in those areas, so why should we hesitate in politics? If we want to make politics a better place for more women, we have to be there. We complain that politics is a violent, patriarchal, masculine space. The solution is to enter that space, make your presence felt, and make your voice louder. You have to fight. If you complain as an outsider, nothing will change.

I've been happy to hear from young women who have told me they now look up to politicians, and that’s what I wanted to change.

Credits

Interviewee: Kaushalya Ariyarathne

Interviewer: Ragini Puri

Series: Worth Asking 2025-26

Editor: Sugandha Parmar

Image Credits: The photographs are taken from Sri Lanka Mirror, Facebook, & Linkedln.

Design & Layout & Social Media Outreach: Riya Hira

Stay tuned for more Worth Asking Interviews.

This interview is a part of the Worth Asking Series 2025-26. The series aims to bring conversations with women in politics about politics as a career choice and with men politicians about their role as allies.

Check out our interviews with Dr Harini Amarasuriya, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, here and here.

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Read previous interviews in the Worth Asking Series,here.