Right to Life Human Rights Centre
Empowering Communities, Defending Rights, Building Resilience
The Right to Life Human Rights Centre (R2L) is a leading civil society organisation in Sri Lanka dedicated to promoting and strengthening fundamental human rights. Through legal assistance, financial support, and advocacy, we strive to secure social justice for the most vulnerable members of our society.
Our History
Our journey began in 1992 as “We in the Zone,” an organisation focused on the labour rights of employees in the Katunayake Free-trade Zone. For a decade, we empowered workers with knowledge of labour laws and guided them on acquiring justice through legal frameworks.
In November 2002, responding to the changing trajectory of the country, we evolved and re-registered as “Right to Life Human Rights Center (Guarantee) Ltd.” Our mandate expanded significantly to address grave human rights violations, including police torture, enforced disappearances, health negligence, and Fundamental Rights violations.
Our Mission & The Network
We believe that victimisation often stems from a lack of legal awareness. To combat this, R2L conducts extensive awareness and advocacy programs aimed at safeguarding vulnerable communities.
At the heart of our operations is an island-wide network of over 20 Human Rights First Aid Centers (HRFACs). Through these centers, we train and mobilise grassroots Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) who serve as the first line of defence for victims in their communities.
Innovating for Justice: Social Entrepreneurship
In an era of shrinking civic space, R2L is pioneering a new model for sustainability through our initiative, “Sustaining Civic Resilience.”
We are transforming our Human Rights First Aid Centres into self-sustaining Human Rights and Social Enterprise Centres. By equipping our grassroots defenders with social entrepreneurship skills, we are launching ethical, community-led businesses—ranging from local value-added products to a Colombo-based retail and exhibition hub.
This approach, which we call “justice-linked entrepreneurship,” ensures that our critical desk-based human rights services remain financially resilient and independent, allowing us to continue serving victims of injustice regardless of external challenges.
Climate Justice
Adapting to global challenges, we have expanded our advocacy to include Climate Justice. Our network of Human Rights First Aid Centres now also functions as help centres for disaster victims and communities vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Strategic Partnerships
We believe in the power of collaboration to uphold the public good. R2L actively networks with international, state, and non-state organisations.
- Civil Society Coalitions: We are proud members of the National NGO Collective, the Collective Against Torture, Journalists for Rights, and Lawyers for Human Rights.
- State Engagement: We work closely with Independent Commissions and state institutions, including the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, the National Police Commission, the Right to Information Commission, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.