President Maithripala Sirisena has said the upper class, who enjoy the luxurious, the high ranking government officials and the politicians, who use luxurious vehicles, enjoy these facilities owing to the foreign exchange earned by female migrant domestic workers.

Even though the migrant domestic workers are the main source that earns foreign exchange for the country, the life stories of mothers, sisters and daughters who are engaged in this field are mournful, President Sirisena has said.

President Sirisena has also emphasized that he is personally against sending Sri Lankan women as domestic workers to foreign countries.

He has made these remarks addressing the International Women’s Day celebrations held at Salgadu Grounds in Anuradhapura to mark the International Women’s Day which falls today (08), the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.

More than 8,000 women had participated in this ceremony, which was held under the theme, “An endearing woman – A beautiful world”, the PMD said.

As a result of the Copenhagen initiative, International Women’s Day was marked for the first time in 1991 (19 March) in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded women’s rights to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination in employment.

According to the PMD, a number of programmes have been organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs on behalf of the Women’s Day towards securing the rights of women.

During this event, the special publication compiled for the International Women’s Day of 2019 was also presented to the President, the PMD stated.
President Sirisena has felicitated women who have rendered a great service at the national level and he has also presented felicitation awards and certificates to several selected women entrepreneurs in the Anuradhapura district.

Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs Chandrani Bandara, Minister Thalatha Athukorala, Governor of the North Central Province Sarath Ekanayake, Women’s and Children’s Affairs and Dry Zone Development Ministry Secretary Dharshani Senanayake were also present on this occasion, the PMD reported.