For years, Sri Lanka has paid lip service to the lofty ideals of respect and dignity for women in the public sphere. We celebrate our milestones and point to our history as a Nation that produced the world’s first female Prime Minister. Yet, the current climate of digital discourse reveals a much darker reality. The vitriol directed at women in prominent positions suggests that, beneath the veneer of progress, we remain a society struggling with deep-seated prejudices. This is not merely a matter of ‘internet trolls’ being unkind; it is a systemic barrier to equality that threatens the very foundations of our democratic participation.

The recent and sustained targeting of journalist Dilka Samanmali serves as a sickening case in point. The online abuse levelled against her, sparked by her political coverage and beliefs, has transcended the boundaries of professional critique. It has descended into a coordinated campaign of vilification and denigration specifically designed to shame her as a woman. One may disagree with her politics or her line of questioning, but such disagreement does not grant anyone the right to harass or dehumanise her. When a woman’s professional output is met with gendered insults and threats, it is a clear sign of a moral vacuum in our digital culture.

This toxic environment has a chilling effect that extends far beyond a single individual. It is one of the primary reasons why talented, capable women are increasingly reluctant to enter public office or pursue careers in the media. We often hear political parties lament the difficulty of fulfilling the 25% quota for female representation during election cycles. They claim the candidates simply are not there. The truth is far more uncomfortable: the candidates are there, but they are understandably unwilling to subject themselves and their families to the full, unbridled effect of misogyny that now characterises Sri Lankan social media.

The Social Media Journalists for Democracy recently issued a necessary condemnation of these attacks. Their statement rightly points out that the sustained targeting of Samanmali reflects a gross misuse of platforms that ought to be spaces for ethical discussion. They correctly identify these actions as cyberbullying and organised harassment, noting that such behaviour erodes the basic standards of respect required for a functional society. Most importantly, they highlight the psychological harm and the direct threat to the safety and mental wellbeing of women who find themselves in the crosshairs of these digital mobs.

This brings us to the current administration and its promises of comprehensive ‘system change’. We currently have the largest female representation in the history of the Sri Lankan Parliament. This should be a moment of triumph. However, representation without protection is a hollow victory. The public, and particularly the young women of this country, are looking to the Government for more than just silence.

Specifically, expectations are high for the Deputy Media Minister. As a woman who holds a doctorate in gender studies, she is uniquely qualified to understand the intersectional nature of this violence. She, and the Women’s Caucus at large, must be attuned to the larger implications of these attacks. If the Government remains passive while prominent women are attacked for their opposing views, it sends a dangerous message to the next generation: that the public square is a site of sanctioned abuse for women.

A healthy digital space is one where ideas can be exchanged without the fear of personal ruin. When criticism turns into criminal conduct, it is the responsibility of both the authorities and the platforms themselves to act. Community guidelines must be enforced with rigour to ensure that perpetrators of harassment are held accountable. We cannot claim to be a modern democracy while allowing a digital pillory to exist where women are punished for the crime of having a voice.

The young women of Sri Lanka are watching. They are observing how their leaders react when one of their own, regardless of political affiliation, is being hounded online. If we fail to protect the dignity of women in the media and politics today, we are effectively forfeiting the talent and leadership of women tomorrow. True system change requires more than just new faces in high places; it requires a fundamental shift in how we uphold the values of empathy and respect in every space, whether physical or digital.