German Embassy funds mobile identification documentation clinics in Uva Province

Wednesday, 20 August 2014 01:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

To promote the development of a culture of democracy by and for Sri Lankans through civic engagement initiatives, the German Embassy in Colombo is funding mobile identification documentation clinics for plantation sector workers of Indian origin. The project is implemented by the Centre for Human Rights and Research (CHR) Sri Lanka, a sister organisation of the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections. Participatory democracy ensures all members of a population make meaningful contributions to decision-making, as well as broadening the range of people who have access to such opportunities. The Uva Province is home to a large number of Indian origin estate workers who have a history of political, social and economic marginalisation. This exclusion is illustrated by the lack of identification documents for close to 30% of the population.

CHR aims to conduct 16 clinics to help 4,400 people obtain documents such as birth certificates and National Identification Cards. The organisation will work closely with officials from the Department for the Registration of Persons, local councils, civil society organisations, community and religious leaders to ensure the importance of owning and acquiring such documentation is conveyed to the target group. CHR also hopes to encourage electoral participation in the upcoming Uva Provincial Council elections. “In post-conflict environments, holding free and fair elections is an important step on the road to democracy. The challenge lies in improving electoral processes so as to make them more transparent, participatory and independent,” said Deputy Ambassador Dr. Michael Dohmen. “We hope this project will help the community in question increase the scale of its participation in the decision-making process, and thus actively contribute to its own social, political and economic empowerment.” The project will focus on raising awareness about the people’s right to key civic documents through information booklets, posters and public announcements. The mobile clinics will also see the participation of police officers to register complaints about lost records and speed up the process of replacing these documents.