Sri Lanka determined to ensure safe and inclusive political participation for women – Minister

Sri Lanka is prepared to work with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to ensure that women across Commonwealth countries can participate in politics in a safe environment, free from coercion and violence, says Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj.

The Minister made this statement while addressing the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Conference (CWP) held under the theme: “Debate Not Hate: Not Accepting Abuse as an Outcome of Free Speech.”

The event was a sub-conference of the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC), held in Bridgetown, Barbados, and included several workshops as part of the 9th Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Conference.

Minister Paulraj participated as a panel member in the workshop titled: “DebateNotHate: Not Accepting Abuse as an Outcome of Free Speech.”

The workshop focused on the key areas, ensuring the safety of women in politics, ending the misuse of freedom of expression to justify violence and derogatory behavior and creating a safe digital space for women.

In her address, Minister Paulraj emphasised the importance of establishing a secure and respectful platform for women in politics and proposed several actionable steps, including:

• Introducing an internationally recognized code of conduct
• Sharing best practice frameworks to promote transparency in institutional protection mechanisms and enforcement of laws
• Conducting mandatory training programs for parliamentarians and staff to promote gender sensitivity, mutual respect, and cooperation.

These proposals received praise and appreciation from other Commonwealth women parliamentarians.

Minister Paulraj also serves as the Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus in Parliament.

The session was attended by women parliamentarians, delegates, and staff from across the Commonwealth nations.