Yamini Ravindran, an attorney-at-law, is the Director for Legal and Advocacy for the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka. An ardent advocate for the freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), for the past 10 years, Yamini has engaged at the policy level, advocating for greater respect for religious freedom both locally and internationally, strategizing key initiatives to build public awareness on FoRB and implementing projects and engaging in strategic litigation to support victims and secure their rights.
In 2018, Yamini pioneered the MinorMatters project, a public campaign that seeks to promote FoRB in Sri Lanka. The project systematically documents FoRB violations, trains key stakeholders, carries out research on key issues and engages in advocacy on pressing concerns. In 2019, the MinorMatters project received 4th place at the 2019 Intercultural Innovation Award (IIA) by the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the BMW Group for its idea to build a first-of-its-kind Virtual Museum on the progression of the freedom of religion or belief in Sri Lanka, integrated with an e-learning platform to improve FoRB literacy in the country. The IIA annually recognises the top 10 most innovative grassroots projects that encourage intercultural exchange around the world.
In addition to her role with the NCEASL, Yamini also serves as the Executive Director for the Asia Evangelical Alliance, Religious Liberty Commission, overseeing the status of religious freedom in 17 nations in Asia.
Yamini has an LL. B. from the University of London and is presently reading for a master’s degree in Human Rights at the University of Colombo.
