RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY WOMEN’S GROUPS TO THE 20TH AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION CURRENTLY UNDER DISCUSSION Women in Sri Lanka have had the right to vote from as early as 1931, but very little opportunity to become the people’s elected political representatives—in either Parliament or in Provincial or Local Government. This fact has been highlighted worldwide … Continue reading Political Representation of Women: Ensuring 25% Increase
This handbook was designed to support women with a keen interest to get online. Appropriate for beginners, this book introduces you to the very basics of the most commonly used web platforms that are available on the internet for free. It is our intention to encourage women to make their voices heard at a global … Continue reading Getting Online: A basic guide to Email, Blogging, Twitter and Facebook (New Media Handbook)
This manual was developed with feedback of 40 trade union female members of 20 trade unions who belong to the Trade Union Women United network coordinated by Women and Media Collective. The manual is available in the Sinhala and Tamil languages. Through this manual users can obtain similar levels of knowledge, attitudes and skills and … Continue reading Training of Trainers manual on leadership for women in Trade Unions of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s Trade Union women leaders are a driving force in the lives of working women due to the constant trials and struggles encountered in the workplace. Marred by gender discrimination and sometimes violence women in the past have had to step forward and speak up for their rights. This led to the emergence of … Continue reading Film: Determining Futures, women in Trade Unions in Sri Lanka
This film documents the electoral struggle of Aynoon Beebi, a 39-year old Muslim woman from Kinniya, in Trincomalee, at the 2011 local government elections. While celebrating Aynoon’s political ambitions, the film explores the ways in which she challenges mechanisms of power and dominance that are naturalised within her community and political party structures. Women account … Continue reading Film: Don’t think of me as a woman, an election story from the margins
A group of human rights law students from the University of Colombo and the Gallatin School, New York visited Women and Media Collective to learn more about WMC’s role in addressing women’s rights issues in Sri Lanka and its applicability in achieving gender equality. Women in politics, women in trade unions, migrant workers rights and … Continue reading University students from New York and Colombo visit WMC
The awards for the winning short films of the Women and Media Collectives short film competition were presented at the opening ceremony of WMC’s 30th anniversary exhibition on the 10th of February 2015. This year first place went to J.P. Kusum Jayaweera for ‘Weegawath Gahaniya’ (Speed Woman). Kusum is a nurse from the Anuradhapura teaching … Continue reading WMC Short Film Competition 2014
Women’s rights groups from all parts of Sri Lanka made it happen on the streets of Colombo to mark International Women’s Day 2015. On the 9th of March, women’s groups were demanding for an increase in political representation for women by introducing at least a 25% quota in all political bodies and to establish an … Continue reading IWD 2015: International Women’s Day March
On International Women’s Day as Women and Media Collective celebrates 30 years of activism we take a moment to celebrate the life of founder Sunila Abeysekara. Source: Isis International Why Sunila loved March 8th I visited Sunila around 8th March 2013 to spend some time with her after she’d been diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. … Continue reading IWD 2015: Celebrating the life of our founder Sunila Abeysekara
The Country Profile on Universal Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services discusses how the well-networked health system in place from village to national level has helped Sri Lanka achieve sound indicators related to maternal health and HIV and AIDS. It briefly discusses health related expenditure and the availability of sexual and reproductive health services … Continue reading Country Profile on Universal Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health: Sri Lanka