Sri Lanka and plight of South Asia’s women

Some of the most disturbing news concerning women comes from countries in South Asia, the latest being the release of the shocking video of two women being paraded naked by a mob in the violence-hit northeastern state of Manipur in India. It is alleged that the women were gang raped and paraded naked in full public view. 

In Afghanistan, since the Taliban took power, the freedom of girls and women have been receding day after day with schools, universities, and offices closed to them. The latest was the closure of beauty parlours by the Taliban denying many women their sources of income and customers the freedom to visit a beauty parlour. In Pakistan hundreds of women are killed each year in so-called honour killings while in the rest of the countries in South Asia including Sri Lanka, women are fighting to overcome societal prejudices, harassment and discrimination.

Many in Sri Lanka who measure themselves up to the plight of women in the rest of South Asia will say that women here are in a better place than in these countries. This is true to some extent but it does not mean that we can bury our heads in the sand and pretend that all is good in our country.

There are reports on a regular basis of violence against women with several killings reported this year, many killed or attacked by their husbands or partners. Cases of rape, revenge porn, blackmail are also pilling up with the long arm of the law falling short when it comes to dealing with cases that involve women. Women who go to a police station to lodge a complaint against a violent spouse are often advised by the police to return home and patch up and in some cases, women have paid with their lives as a result.

Be it a visit to a police station, a prison to visit a loved one who is incarcerated or a court, there are many instances where sexual favours were sought from women in order to attend to the work they had come for.

There is also the perennial harassment in public transport and on the roads that women and girls in Sri Lanka face. The number of women who are subject to catcalling on the streets is normalised to such an extent that it’s rarely talked about at big events held to discuss woman’s emancipation where catch phrases such as “shattering the glass ceiling” often get floated around. The problems Sri Lankan women face may sound like minor issues compared to institutionalised discrimination that women face in some SA countries, but they are not small issues for women and girls. If a woman is unable to travel freely and safely in public transport or walk on the street without harassment, it is a serious matter. It’s an indictment of society as a whole and shows the lack of respect and concern for over 50% of the country’s population.

The Anti-Corruption Bill which was passed by Parliament earlier this week made provision for sexual bribes to be a punishable offence, a positive step which could dissuade sexual predators.

The Government has also put forward a draft bill to amend the country’s archaic labour laws which is a welcome move but there must be more consultation with women’s rights activists and others who work for the welfare of women if the new laws are to serve their interests as well and not cater to only the interests of men.

At a time when the most horrific treatment of women gets flashed across television news and across newspapers, Sri Lanka as a country has to do more to safeguard its girls and women so that they can reach their full potential in their chosen field of work and be able to step out without fear of harassment or violence.