More than 135 women and women’s organisations have signed a letter addressed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD), demanding urgent action to enable the National Women’s Commission to function effectively.
The letter highlights rising incidents of violence against women in Sri Lanka, including abuse at home, in workplaces, in public spaces, and online.
It notes that even the Prime Minister has faced sexualised attacks, while activists such as Swasthika Arulingam were recently subjected to verbal abuse online by member of parliament (MP) Ramanathan Archchuna.
The signatories state that although members of the Commission have been appointed, it remains inactive, lacking a budget, office space, staff, resources, and even an official seal.
According to the letter, attempts were made to submit complaints to the National Women’s Commission, whose members were recently appointed by the President. However, the signatories say they were unable to find any way to contact the Commission. Upon making inquiries, they claim they were credibly informed that the Commission “only exists on paper.”
The letter alleges that the Commission has not been allocated a budget, does not have independently situated office space, and lacks staff and resources to carry out its mandate. It further states that the Commission does not even have an official seal, rendering it incapable of performing its statutory functions, including inquiring into violations of women’s rights and receiving complaints.
They further argue that forwarding right to information (RTI) requests to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs undermines the Commission’s independence and violates its constitutional mandate.
Calling the Commission the result of hard‑fought battles by women, the activists accuse the government of enabling misogyny and sexism by leaving it inoperative.
They demand that the President allocate sufficient finances, resources, and an independent office space, ensure the Commission’s independence from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and provide a clear timeline for when it will become fully operational.
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