An Eelam Tamil-origin woman has become the Deputy Mayor of Wandsworth Council in London.
The borough’s Deputy Mayor for the year is Councillor Sarmila Varatharaj. Councillor Varatharaj graduated as Valedictorian (Highest ranking student) in International Business from the University of Hertfordshire, having completed four study abroad programmes in Florida, Switzerland, Thailand, and Chile.
She has been a Human Rights activist ever since she was a student at Burntwood School; this is when she started volunteering for British Tamils Forum, an advocacy organisation working against the Genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. She has successfully completed a course in law through Harvard University.
She volunteers for NGO, Global Human Rights Defence and has been the spokesperson to the United Nations Human Rights Council since the age of 21. She has worked on UN Resolutions passed at the Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka through regular engagement with the UK government and Countries across the globe.
She is proud to serve in Wandsworth, a community so rich in culture and diversity, where she was born and raised.
