The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to the resolution furnished by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment, to instruct the Legal Draftsman’s Department to draft a new Bill to accordingly revoke and revise the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, No. 34 of 2005 (PDVA) to cater to contemporary requirements.

Approval of the Cabinet was granted at their meeting held on 12 June 2023 to publish the draft Bill prepared by the Legal Draftsman’s Department to revise the PDVA to cater to the contemporary requirements and to present it to the Parliament for its concurrence. However, it has become apparent that a new Act under the same name of the existing Act including all relevant revisions, followed by repealing the Act now in effect, should be imposed, so that public can understand the Act more easily, since an increased number of Sections in the prevailing Act have to be revised.