Sukanya Pillay received her LL.M. in international legal studies from New York University School of Law where she was a graduate editor of the NYU Journal of International Law and Politics.
She has practiced international business and human rights law in New York, Mumbai and London (UK). When working at WITNESS at the Lawyers’ Committee For Human Rights in New York, Sukanya spearheaded the use of video reports to document human rights abuses.
Sukanya worked for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in Toronto as General Counsel and Executive Director (2013-2017) and National Security Director (2009-2017).
In 2017, she completed a Fellowship in Global Journalism at the Munk School of Global Affairs in Toronto.
Sukanya has assisted in the publication of several books as a co-author, editor and reviewer. Her op-eds have appeared in the Globe and Mail, the National Post, the Ottawa Citizen and other outlets.
She has produced and directed documentaries that have been broadcast on BBC World and CNN International and appeared at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
Her photography show “every human being”, consisting of photographs from all five hemispheres, has shown in Canada and the United States. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her writing, films and advocacy including the South Asian Bar Association’s President’s Award and the OBA Award of Excellence in the Promotion of Women’s Equality.
She has made regular appearances on national and international broadcast media (radio and television) and published articles in peer-reviewed legal journals in Canada and the U.S.
Sukanya is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law and Law Foundation of Ontario Scholar (2017-Present).
(Photo credit by Helena Hu)