South Asian Women in Media Sri Lanka (SAWM-SL), in collaboration with the Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA), Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka (EGSL), and the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), will hold a special event marking International Women’s Day 2025, tomorrow (12) at the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) auditorium, with a focus on enhancing media engagement with women in politics. 

Issuing a press release, SAWM-SL stated that the event will provide a vital platform to discuss challenges and opportunities related to women's political participation and the role of the media in shaping narratives. 

The event will feature prominent speakers, including Social Scientists’ Association researcher and co-editor of Polity Chulani Kodikara,  NPP Member of Parliament Lakmali Hemachandra, digital rights researcher and activist Saritha Irugalbandara, United Federation of Labour President attorney-at-law Swasthika Arulingam, Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Executive Director Manjula Gajanayake, Deputy Commissioner of Elections D.P.N. Attygalle; editor of Anidda Newspaper K.W. Janaranjana, and representative of the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka; SJB Member of Parliament Rohini Wijerathna, and National Organiser of the Federation of Media Employees Trade Unions (FMTU) journalist Tharindu Uduwaragedara. 

While Sri Lanka’s current Parliament has seen a historic increase in women's representation, with women now holding 9.8 percent of Parliamentary seats, they remain underrepresented in decision-making roles. Furthermore, targeted attacks on women politicians, both online and through media narratives, continue to rise. This event aims to address these challenges by fostering a more responsible approach to media coverage of women in politics, identifying barriers to women's participation.