Her activism continued in the 2000s, when she formed an important role in setting up the international coalition of women human rights defenders. She focused upon the gender-specific aspects of violence experienced by female defenders and pushed the coalition to engage with other groups. In 2002, Abeysekera joined the feminist International Initiative on Justice for Muslim women who were victims during the 2002 Gujarat riots. She played an important role in ensuring that women's needs were addressed in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Abeysekera also served as chair of the Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights.