Women of Wednesday condemn the use of the photograph of Vidya Sivaloganathan, which depicts her victimized by rapists and murderers. Even social media sites which supposedly support responsible reporting should be more sensitive to not contributing to her victimization. This only serves a purpose of sensationalizing the issue and is not taking into consideration the … Continue reading Women of Wednesday condemn the use of the photograph of Vidya Sivaloganathan

We, the signatures to this statement express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family Vindya Sivaloganathan who was gang raped and murdered in the village of Pungudutivu in Kayts. We also condole with the community in the village and support their call for an immediate response from the law enforcement agencies to ensure that … Continue reading Statement: KAYTS RAPE CASE

Source: UN Women Statement by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. Date : 15 May 2015 Today marks the 25th anniversary of recognition by the international community that homosexuality cannot be classified as an illness. We celebrate that critical decision by the World Health Organization as the … Continue reading UN Women Executive Director Statement on the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia

The recently concluded 16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence global campaign in Sri Lanka was a unitary effort by members of the GBV Forum. During the 16 days the Gender Based Violence Forum or GBV Forum had organised several activities and events in the country for the year 2014. The online campaign in … Continue reading 16 Days of Activism against GBV 2014 campaign

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rigths (SRHR) in Sri Lanka

by Chulani Kodikara More and more women in Sri Lanka are breaking the silence surrounding intimate partner violence against women (IPVW) to a third person outside their immediate family and friends and seeking formal institutional support to address the problem. This has to be attributed to both consciousness-raising programmes held through workshops, publications and media … Continue reading Counselling for Intimate Partner Violence against Women

by Chulani Kodikara Following a number of years of lobbying by women’s organisations, the government of Sri Lanka in 2005 passed the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (PDVA). The Act fell short of the expectations of women’s organisations on a number of counts. Nevertheless it is a victory gained by the women’s movement in Sri … Continue reading The prevention of Domestic Violence Act and implementation problems

4 December 2014 The Asian and Pacific Conference on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Beijing +20 Review provided a historic opportunity for governments and civil society to undertake an honest review of the structural barriers that prevent gender equality and violate women’s human rights. The meeting was intended to improve accountability for implementation of the … Continue reading Civil Society Steering Committee statement on the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

A high court judge sentenced a medical doctor, of the Negambo hospital, to death on the 3rd of September 2014 for the murder of young woman in 2007. Chamila Dissanayake (23) who was working in the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Katunayake was raped, strangled and then pushed to hear death, according to medical reports, … Continue reading Fairness prevails for the murder and rape of FTZ woman worker says women’s groups

The case against Thilini Amalka for voluntarily causing hurt was heard this morning at the Wariyapola magistrate courts in Kurunegala. The judge ordered that a medical report be produced by Chandra Kumara also known as Selva the man who allegedly harassed Thilini sexually on the streets of Wariyapola which led Thilini to slap him. A … Continue reading Judge advised police on Wariyapola incident