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Activists petition President, PM to operationalise Women’s Commission
View(s):Civil society activists, including women’s organisations and professionals, have called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya to take immediate steps to operationalise the National Commission on Women (NCW).
The request was made in a letter to the president and was endorsed by 78 members representing civil society and professionals from 18 organisations. The letter follows the reported resignation of the commission’s first chairperson, Dr Ramani Jayasundere, due to failure to operationalise the commission with necessary staff, finances, resources and institutional support.
They urged both the president and the prime minister to take immediate steps to operationalise the National Commission on Women. They also emphasise that Dr Jayasundere has the competence, experience, and commitment for the post of chairperson in the commission and, therefore, should fulfil the mandate and the responsibilities under the Women Empowerment Act.
They also called for the commission to be an effective institution, independent of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, helping to advance the gender equality commitments of the government and impacting the wellbeing of the women of Sri Lanka.
They expressed their collective concern over the resignation of Dr Jayasundere several months ago. They pointed out that the resignation of Dr Jayasundere too should be understood as a concern for operationalising the NCW as an effective mechanism to fulfil its mandate and responsibilities under the Women Empowerment Act.
They added that the commission must be an effective institution, independent of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, helping to advance the gender equality commitments of the government and impacting the wellbeing of the women of Sri Lanka.
The activists also explained that the NCW was created as an institution independent from the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, which was essential to ensure the continuity of the gender equality agenda with the mandate to strengthen government responses to key issues such as gender-based violence and online violence faced by women in politics.
Among the professionals who had signed the letter are:
Emeritus Professor Savitri Goonesekere, University of Colombo; Jezima Ismail; Prof. Deepika Udagama, University of Peradeniya; Emeritus Professor Jayadeva Uyangoda, University of Colombo; Dr Thiloma Munasinghe, Consultant Community Physician (retired), Ministry of Health; Dr Selvy Thiruchandran; Emeritus Professor Sharya Scharenguivel, University of Colombo; Dr Chulani Kodikara, Independent Researcher; Dr Sepali Kottegoda; Prof. Camena Guneratne, Open University of Sri Lanka; Emeritus Professor Harendra de Silva, University of Colombo; Prof. Gameela Samarasinghe, University of Colombo; and Dr Paikiyasothy Saravanamutu.
The organisations which had written to the president are Aalumai Women’s Team, Centre for Equality and Justice, Centre for Policy Alternatives, CENWOR, EQUAL GROUND, International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Islamic Women’s Association for Research and Empowerment (IWARE), Mannar Women’s Development Federation, Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum (MWRAF), Nisha Development Center, Social Economic Development Federation (SEDF), Social Scientists’ Association (SSA), Suriya Women’s Development Centre (SWDC), Thean Aruvi Women’s Center, Women and Media Collective, and Women’s Coalition for Disaster Management (WCDM – Eastern Women’s Network). Women’s Development Centre, Kurunegala, and the Women’s Education and Research Centre.
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