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Law, social justice, and more with Devni Wimalasena 

09 May 2021

By Mahika Panditha  Meet Devni Wimalasena, everyone. It brings me so much joy to feature her on this week’s edition of Happinez, and I am even more happy to introduce her to those of you that do not know her/of her. Devni is one of the kindest souls and honestly, seeing her posts on social media (@devni_) always makes my day and makes me want to fight for the greater good.  At this time, she is currently riding out the third wave of Covid-19 and learning TikTok dances with her sister (we’d love to see them!). I asked Devni what her goals and passions were – “To inspire others to challenge the patriarchy and deadlift 250lbs by the end of the year!” is what she had to say and we are so excited to see what the future holds for her, we are cheering her on!  Just like all of us, Devni also has her guilty pleasures – this one, I resonate quite closely with – it is long drives and McDonald’s fries dipped in vanilla ice cream (you should all definitely try it, you will not regret it!). Before I give away too much, check out what Devni had to say!    Hi Devni! Before we dive in, do tell our readers a little about yourself.  I was born in London but have lived most of my life in Colombo. When I was 16, I took a big leap of faith and moved by myself to Melbourne for my last year of school. I am very independent and love travelling to new places alone!  I am currently reading for a Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) at the Melbourne Law School while working part time at Arup Australia, so that keeps me quite busy. I was the Women’s Officer of the Melbourne Law School and continue to work in the human rights space; most of my work focuses on women’s rights and advocacy.  I am also the Social Media Manager of Lawyers Without Borders in Melbourne and work with the communications team at Women in Need here in Sri Lanka. I am a giant water baby and love the ocean. In a parallel universe I am running a beachside café with multiple dogs, a lot of good coffee, and a lazy fat cat!    Let’s talk about your chosen area of study. What inspired you to get into gender and sexuality studies, as well as law?  While I was always passionate about gender issues, I quite honestly stumbled into this as a career. For my undergraduate degree, I double majored in International Politics and Gender Studies at the University of Melbourne and loved every one of my Gender Studies classes.  I also did a lot of extracurricular work during this time and received the Leaders in Community Award from the University of Melbourne in 2019. As part of this award, I worked with the Law Faculty and after having seen the way in which the justice system was able to bring about meaningful change – I was hooked.  Apart from this, I have grown up noticing gender discrimination and injustices yet never had the knowledge or skills to express and unpack these issues. Now that I do, I am determined to keep continuing to raise awareness, spark change and hopefully bring about justice to those affected by gendered violence. I am inspired by people that have dared question the status quo and stand up for what is right.    What changes do you want to see made in Sri Lanka and worldwide in the next five years?  I’m excited to see the way technology will intersect with social justice to create a safer and more inclusive society. There are already some fascinating apps both to mitigate violence but also to organise and rally people! In the meantime, I would really like to see a more proactive push for positive social change among the majority rather than simply resigning to “this is just how it is”. I do believe that more people are becoming aware of the issues our planet and its people are facing, a momentum I would love to see continue.    As a gender activist, what would you say the younger generation could do in their daily lives to make active change in the world they are growing up in?  A bit clichéd, but be kind. We have the power to affect so much change in our own communities and social circles simply by being empathetic and supporting our friends and family. I think boys, especially, can affect great changes in behaviour by simply calling out friends that may be making people especially women uncomfortable.  A simple “no, that’s not right” yields the ability to discourage harassment such as catcalling and abuse especially within relationships and social circles. Also, with methods of cyber violence such as nonconsensual photo sharing, by refusing to forward links, share pictures and calling out those who do, young people have immense power in breaking such toxic and criminal cycles.    Considering our culture here in Sri Lanka, how would you say we should work towards breaking barriers?  We need to start calling out and speaking up against the harmful elements of our culture. Culture is fluid and ever-changing – if asking for women and girls to have access to safety, professional fulfillment and the freedom to make their own choices is disrupting the culture, then the culture has some serious issues!  I also think there is also an urgent need for sex education for children. The longer we treat sex and relationships as taboo subjects, the more vulnerable we leave children and young adults to abuse and unhealthy relationships. We need to teach young children about consent and empower them to establish healthy boundaries.    So, what needs to happen in terms of law reform for Sri Lanka and how can we help?  So much! For example, a woman is raped every 90 minutes in Sri Lanka, yet there are virtually no legal consequences for this. Sri Lanka Police statistics for 2018 and 2019 showed that there was not a single rape conviction in these years. Not one.  We have established that these are horrifyingly frequent crimes, yet where is the accountability. We need to move away from victim blaming and stigmatising survivors to actually holding perpetrators to account and speaking up against violence.  Also, our culture places an immense focus on marriage being a defining milestone especially in the lives of young women. Yet, our fault-based divorce laws are archaic and in need of urgent reform. It is ironic that we place so much value on the martial unit even when it comes at the cost of physical and mental safety.  Marital rape is not seen as a crime in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, in the wake of Covid-19 and the lockdowns, domestic violence has been spiking across the island, yet victims are left with very few legal remedies to ensure their safety and to hold perpetrators to account.  With all these issues, we still have our Police diverting their attention to harassing young consenting couples that may be sitting together in a park rather than protecting women being battered in their own homes. I think across the board from the Police, to the judiciary to our own cultural views there is urgent need for legal reform and perhaps even the establishment of special courts for women and child abuse matters.  On a side note, Women in Need is an organisation that provides essential, free support services (legal aid, counselling, shelters) to victims of violence including cyber violence and I urge anyone experiencing violence or harassment to reach out to them.    Aside from this, you are killing the social media game! How do you balance your life online and offline?  Thank you! It’s very much a work in progress but I have designated times for my university work and my 9-5 job, which really helps. Apart from that I am quite easy going about the time that I spend online. I love creating content and connecting with people, so I don’t try to restrict myself too much! I also love my weightlifting sessions at the gym and find it adds a nice balance to both my physical and mental health.    Do you have any pointers for people wanting to share their message on social media but are afraid of the criticisms that come their way?  I have always seen social media as a tiny pocket of the internet that we as individuals are given and it is up to us on how we choose to use it. There will be those who are committed to misunderstanding you but there is also an entire community of like-minded people that will support you through it all.  Social media has its detriments, but it is also a powerful and uniting tool – entire social movements have been orchestrated through social media. While criticisms may come your way, there will also be people that resonate with your message and that can have such an amazing domino effect. An effect that goes beyond geographical and language barriers.  However, we all know that Sri Lanka can be a small place, and it can be daunting to sometimes take a stance openly. Yet, I keep reminding myself that at the end of the day I don’t want to look back and realise that I lived a life of silence because I was too scared to speak out.  Especially as women, we need to take up more space and ensure that we don’t silence our voices. Criticism and fear of backlash have long been weapons used to silence women regardless of their position in society, but the more we collectively push back against this, the easier it becomes to stand tall in the face of injustices.  At the end of the day, we all have our own opinions, yet we need to be able to respectfully disagree with each other. But if someone cannot do that and attacks you instead, they’re not worth your time. Block and move on.    Speaking of criticisms, what have been some of the challenges you have faced and how have you overcome them?  While I have received outright criticism and hate on the internet this has not been too difficult to deal with. As a person I am not too affected by random people saying mean things to me – it says more about them than me.  However, something that I still find challenging is the fear of social exclusion that comes with rocking the boat and disrupting the status quo. I have found the best way to mitigate this is by having honest conversations and trying to unpack what it is about what I am saying that would make the other person so uncomfortable.  Feminist issues continue to receive kickback as it may be interpreted as an attack on men. This simply is not true. Preventing violence against women, addressing toxic masculinity, the high male suicide rate, child abuse to name a few key issues are not attacks on men. Rather it is an attack on a system that makes space for the prevalence of such conditions. We cannot let the criticism stop us.    We are so excited to see what life brings you! Anything we (as your loyal and loving followers) can look forward to?  Thank you so much! Well, if Covid-19 has taught me anything it’s that planning is great until life (and this case a pandemic) hits you in the face!  Right now, I am excited to continue to keep growing and learning with the amazing community of feminists and advocates that I am thankful to have in my life. I also hope to branch out and continue to create awareness and facilitate discussion in more innovative and accessible ways.   PHOTOS © Nisal Nawarathne, Arup Australia, Samantha Ratnam Media, Devni Wimalasena 

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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