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Yeheliya Foundation Founding Director Attorney-at-Law Naushalya Rajapaksha[/caption]
Presenting the solutions brought to light through a year-long project on increasing women’s representation in Parliament and politics, the Yeheliya Foundation launched the outcome document of their project “Diyawanna Tharanaya” on 13 March, parallel to International Women’s Day (IWD). The document, titled “Crossing Diyawannawa: A guide to increasing female representation in Sri Lankan Politics”, was launched at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) at 4 p.m. with the participation of politicians, government officials, representatives of civil society organisations, youth leaders, and other dignitaries.
The gathering was addressed by individuals of prominence in the field of politics, public administration, and civil society as well as members of the Yeheliya Foundation.
Welcoming those present, Yeheliya Foundation Founding Director Attorney-at-Law Naushalya Rajapaksha said that the solution to address gender inequality in the field of politics has been clearly and simply put in the outcome document of Diyawanna Tharanaya.
“This event is a testament to the saying that girls with dreams become women with vision.”
The open dialogue of Diyawanna Tharanaya coincided with the 2020 general election season and kick-started its first phase on 25 January. Though the lack of female participation in politics is seen as a problem across the board, this project, which spanned across three phases of discussions and research with stakeholders of various stature, specifically focused on women and Parliament, hence the name “Diyawanna Tharanaya”.
“It has been 61 years since Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the first female Prime Minister in the world. However, we saw during the 2020 parliamentary elections though 56% of the registered voters were female, only 12 out of 225 seats in Parliament were secured by women. We also saw that during the provincial council elections in 2014, there were only 21 elected female representatives for all nine provinces compared to the 434 elected male representatives. Women serve as heads of state in only 22 countries, and 119 countries in the world have never seen a woman as a leader,” Rajapaksha said.
Elaborating on current statistics and predictions, she said that according to a survey done by United Nations (UN) Women, at the current rate, gender equality in positions of high power will not be achieved in another 130 years and gender parity in ministerial positions will not be achieved before 2077.
However, she added that though this disparity exists in politics and governance, in the educational sector, legal sector, and public service, female contribution is at a very high rate.
Speaking about the Diyawanna Tharanaya outcome document, Yeheliya Foundation Head of Research Nimansa Thalduwa said that it was their goal to compile a document of solutions rather than a document of problems.
“It was also to ensure that those who come after us would have the opportunity of perusing the wealth of knowledge we acquired through the process of Diyawanna Tharanaya.”
The document contains recommendations that were extracted from the interviews and the conversations that were conducted with the resource personnel as well as findings of research conducted on all election manifestos of the past election as well and the Constitution of Sri Lanka and of other countries, historical sources, and campaign material, Thalduwa said.
Though she could not be present in person, former President
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga sent a message in video form praising the
objective of the Yeheliya Foundation to break the glass ceiling that women face
when entering politics.
She also praised the efforts taken by the previous Government to bring in a 25% quota for women for the local government elections, as female representation in politics is low.
“I believe that the quota should be 50%.”
However, she said that women going to Parliament alone is not the solution for the country’s present problems. Kumaratunga said that both male and female representatives are equally corrupt in this system and that one of the Yeheliya Foundation’s biggest challenges would be to encourage women who have values and education to present themselves at elections because such people are reluctant to go into the present system of politics.
“It is good that Yeheliya Foundation’s project intends to bring more women into politics, but they should also be different from the women we have in politics at present.”
Adding that 60% of women are victims of domestic abuse, Kumaratunga said that a woman who is stripped of her confidence through harassment and abuse would not be able to effectively participate in the process of building the country. The former President also appealed to the Government on this occasion of celebrating IWD to rebuild the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), which she claimed has now become merely an agency to provide jobs for unemployable women who are close to the government.
Though Sri Lanka as a country celebrates the fact that it produced the world’s first female prime minister, such was possible because of her family background, former Justice and Prison Reforms Minister and MP Thalatha Athukorale said, addressing the gathering. She elaborated that apart from a few women, everyone else has come to politics from the power given to them by their last names.
“We talk about the former Executive President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge because of her family background. I too have the same to say about myself. If not through the National List, women face numerous obstacles when entering Parliament through elections by themselves. This is the challenge that is to be addressed.”
She also talked about issues faced by migrant workers and emphasised on the need to address these issues.
In the 1920s, when women – the wives of then politicians – fought for universal franchise, they were ridiculed by the men and their own husbands for demanding the right to vote, said Colombo Mayor and former MP Rosy Senanayake.
“To see a young group of women come out here to make change encourages me and gives me hope, despite the sad status of affairs we see in society with regards to women.”
Senanayake talked about the work she did in bringing the 25% quota for female representatives.
“As soon as we came to power, the one thing I worked on with then Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe was to ensure 30% participation of women in the local government. The PM then said that 30% is asking for too much and we decided to go with 25%. I sat down with the Legal Officer of the Local Government Ministry and wrote the piece of legislature.”
There exists a very strong women’s movement on the ground that has worked for women’s representation and this was their voice and their collective effort, she said.
Senanayake said that the Parliament is a sexist place and that instead of working across party lines, everyone should band together and support the women in Parliament to take the female voice forward.
“Provincial council elections and national elections should not take place until and unless a minimum 25% representation of women can be ensured.”
Speaking about her experiences, Socialist Party of Sri Lanka 2019 presidential candidate, academic and activist Dr. Ajantha Perera said that she came into politics because of the problems that had to be addressed.
“I entered politics to work towards solving the issues that I saw. It was only after entering that it occurred to me that I am a woman in politics.”
She said that politics requires those who come into it to receive monetary donations for campaigns, which especially leaves them indebted to those donors; and this sometimes leads to compromising political objectives. She called for a common fund for female politicians and that debates be held for politicians running for government posts like those in the US, to ensure a levelled playing field.
The only male to address the gathering, former Election Commission (EC) Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya talked about the need for the highly female populated fields such as the administrative service, to reflect this participation in their leading roles as well.
“Women should be talked about and given their rights because they are women, not because they are mothers or anything else, which is a way that women are most often referred to,” he said. The statement was followed by a round of applause.
Through an act in 2009, it was stipulated that at least one female party official should be in a political party when a party is registered, and there were 64 established political parties, Deshapriya said. However, he said that It was revealed that out of 650 party officials, there were only about 45 female officials.
“Even parties with MPs said that not a single woman is in their central council.”
International Foundation for Electoral Systems Deputy Country Director Lasanthi Daskon drew the audience’s attention to intersectionalities in women’s participation and stressed on the need to keep in mind that different women are faced with different types of marginalisation because of their identities.
“We are not only talking about us, but women across sections of the society who are marginalised due to their religion, race, or different abilities. These intersectionalities affect women on deeper levels; work needs to be done.”
She welcomed the recommendations made by the Diyawanna Tharanaya document in this regard and said that the cause needs friends and allies and changes to policies and laws.
Since its registration in 2018, the Yeheliya Foundation has worked with the aim of creating a safe space for young girls and women from different walks of life and has worked towards creating an equal platform for their female counterparts. Hence, the primary focus of Yeheliya’s policy advocacy is on identifying and bridging legal and policy gaps within the Sri Lankan legal, economic, social, and political systems that are identified to be inherently discriminatory towards women.
Yeheliya Foundation Founding Director Attorney-at-Law Naushalya Rajapaksha[/caption]
Presenting the solutions brought to light through a year-long project on increasing women’s representation in Parliament and politics, the Yeheliya Foundation launched the outcome document of their project “Diyawanna Tharanaya” on 13 March, parallel to International Women’s Day (IWD). The document, titled “Crossing Diyawannawa: A guide to increasing female representation in Sri Lankan Politics”, was launched at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) at 4 p.m. with the participation of politicians, government officials, representatives of civil society organisations, youth leaders, and other dignitaries.
The gathering was addressed by individuals of prominence in the field of politics, public administration, and civil society as well as members of the Yeheliya Foundation.
Welcoming those present, Yeheliya Foundation Founding Director Attorney-at-Law Naushalya Rajapaksha said that the solution to address gender inequality in the field of politics has been clearly and simply put in the outcome document of Diyawanna Tharanaya.
“This event is a testament to the saying that girls with dreams become women with vision.”
The open dialogue of Diyawanna Tharanaya coincided with the 2020 general election season and kick-started its first phase on 25 January. Though the lack of female participation in politics is seen as a problem across the board, this project, which spanned across three phases of discussions and research with stakeholders of various stature, specifically focused on women and Parliament, hence the name “Diyawanna Tharanaya”.
“It has been 61 years since Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the first female Prime Minister in the world. However, we saw during the 2020 parliamentary elections though 56% of the registered voters were female, only 12 out of 225 seats in Parliament were secured by women. We also saw that during the provincial council elections in 2014, there were only 21 elected female representatives for all nine provinces compared to the 434 elected male representatives. Women serve as heads of state in only 22 countries, and 119 countries in the world have never seen a woman as a leader,” Rajapaksha said.
Elaborating on current statistics and predictions, she said that according to a survey done by United Nations (UN) Women, at the current rate, gender equality in positions of high power will not be achieved in another 130 years and gender parity in ministerial positions will not be achieved before 2077.
However, she added that though this disparity exists in politics and governance, in the educational sector, legal sector, and public service, female contribution is at a very high rate.
Speaking about the Diyawanna Tharanaya outcome document, Yeheliya Foundation Head of Research Nimansa Thalduwa said that it was their goal to compile a document of solutions rather than a document of problems.
“It was also to ensure that those who come after us would have the opportunity of perusing the wealth of knowledge we acquired through the process of Diyawanna Tharanaya.”
The document contains recommendations that were extracted from the interviews and the conversations that were conducted with the resource personnel as well as findings of research conducted on all election manifestos of the past election as well and the Constitution of Sri Lanka and of other countries, historical sources, and campaign material, Thalduwa said.
Though she could not be present in person, former President
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga sent a message in video form praising the
objective of the Yeheliya Foundation to break the glass ceiling that women face
when entering politics.
She also praised the efforts taken by the previous Government to bring in a 25% quota for women for the local government elections, as female representation in politics is low.
“I believe that the quota should be 50%.”
However, she said that women going to Parliament alone is not the solution for the country’s present problems. Kumaratunga said that both male and female representatives are equally corrupt in this system and that one of the Yeheliya Foundation’s biggest challenges would be to encourage women who have values and education to present themselves at elections because such people are reluctant to go into the present system of politics.
“It is good that Yeheliya Foundation’s project intends to bring more women into politics, but they should also be different from the women we have in politics at present.”
Adding that 60% of women are victims of domestic abuse, Kumaratunga said that a woman who is stripped of her confidence through harassment and abuse would not be able to effectively participate in the process of building the country. The former President also appealed to the Government on this occasion of celebrating IWD to rebuild the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), which she claimed has now become merely an agency to provide jobs for unemployable women who are close to the government.
Though Sri Lanka as a country celebrates the fact that it produced the world’s first female prime minister, such was possible because of her family background, former Justice and Prison Reforms Minister and MP Thalatha Athukorale said, addressing the gathering. She elaborated that apart from a few women, everyone else has come to politics from the power given to them by their last names.
“We talk about the former Executive President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge because of her family background. I too have the same to say about myself. If not through the National List, women face numerous obstacles when entering Parliament through elections by themselves. This is the challenge that is to be addressed.”
She also talked about issues faced by migrant workers and emphasised on the need to address these issues.
In the 1920s, when women – the wives of then politicians – fought for universal franchise, they were ridiculed by the men and their own husbands for demanding the right to vote, said Colombo Mayor and former MP Rosy Senanayake.
“To see a young group of women come out here to make change encourages me and gives me hope, despite the sad status of affairs we see in society with regards to women.”
Senanayake talked about the work she did in bringing the 25% quota for female representatives.
“As soon as we came to power, the one thing I worked on with then Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe was to ensure 30% participation of women in the local government. The PM then said that 30% is asking for too much and we decided to go with 25%. I sat down with the Legal Officer of the Local Government Ministry and wrote the piece of legislature.”
There exists a very strong women’s movement on the ground that has worked for women’s representation and this was their voice and their collective effort, she said.
Senanayake said that the Parliament is a sexist place and that instead of working across party lines, everyone should band together and support the women in Parliament to take the female voice forward.
“Provincial council elections and national elections should not take place until and unless a minimum 25% representation of women can be ensured.”
Speaking about her experiences, Socialist Party of Sri Lanka 2019 presidential candidate, academic and activist Dr. Ajantha Perera said that she came into politics because of the problems that had to be addressed.
“I entered politics to work towards solving the issues that I saw. It was only after entering that it occurred to me that I am a woman in politics.”
She said that politics requires those who come into it to receive monetary donations for campaigns, which especially leaves them indebted to those donors; and this sometimes leads to compromising political objectives. She called for a common fund for female politicians and that debates be held for politicians running for government posts like those in the US, to ensure a levelled playing field.
The only male to address the gathering, former Election Commission (EC) Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya talked about the need for the highly female populated fields such as the administrative service, to reflect this participation in their leading roles as well.
“Women should be talked about and given their rights because they are women, not because they are mothers or anything else, which is a way that women are most often referred to,” he said. The statement was followed by a round of applause.
Through an act in 2009, it was stipulated that at least one female party official should be in a political party when a party is registered, and there were 64 established political parties, Deshapriya said. However, he said that It was revealed that out of 650 party officials, there were only about 45 female officials.
“Even parties with MPs said that not a single woman is in their central council.”
International Foundation for Electoral Systems Deputy Country Director Lasanthi Daskon drew the audience’s attention to intersectionalities in women’s participation and stressed on the need to keep in mind that different women are faced with different types of marginalisation because of their identities.
“We are not only talking about us, but women across sections of the society who are marginalised due to their religion, race, or different abilities. These intersectionalities affect women on deeper levels; work needs to be done.”
She welcomed the recommendations made by the Diyawanna Tharanaya document in this regard and said that the cause needs friends and allies and changes to policies and laws.
Since its registration in 2018, the Yeheliya Foundation has worked with the aim of creating a safe space for young girls and women from different walks of life and has worked towards creating an equal platform for their female counterparts. Hence, the primary focus of Yeheliya’s policy advocacy is on identifying and bridging legal and policy gaps within the Sri Lankan legal, economic, social, and political systems that are identified to be inherently discriminatory towards women.