The National Action Plan to address Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) was recently presented and extensively discussed during a special workshop held in Colombo.

The workshop took place on 08 December, held under the patronage of Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Chair of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus in Parliament and Thalatha Athukorala, Chair of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Children, Women and Gender.

The contents of the multi-sectoral National Action Plan to address SGBV was discussed against a backdrop where over 20,000 incidents of abuse and violence against women have been reported in 2023 thus far, as per the statistics of the Family Health Bureau (FHB) of the Ministry of Health.

Accordingly, expressing their views, the Parliamentarians emphasised the need for the effective implementation of the plans encompassed in the National Action Plan, in order to prevent violence against women both domestically, and in the corporate world.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Netanjali Mapitigama of the FHB pointed out that a significant number of women in Sri Lanka are subjected to violence during pregnancy. 

United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Gender Advisory Sriani Perera and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Advisory Dr. Lakshman Senanayake elaborated further on the contents of the National Action Plan to address SGBV, which was drawn up under the initiative of the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment, in relation to the curricula of 13 ministries focusing on 18 sectors.

The parties who participated in the workshop were also allowed to give their new ideas and suggestions to this national action plan.

MP Manjula Dissanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment, Yamuna Perera, and a group of officials from several other organizations participated in this workshop organized by the National Democratic Institute (NDI).