Here’s something that doesn’t add up, why is the government wasting time testing the water in Weliweriya, when tests were carried out months before? According to a report by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, on 11 June tests were carried out to determine the physical and chemical quality of the water in the village. The report states that ...
Ideally women should have complete control over contraception. After all at least 90% of various types of contraception available are designed for women; from POSDI to the morning after pill. Which unsurprisingly makes sense, considering pregnancy affects women in more ways than it affects men. Women should have a variety of contraception available for their use depending on their needs– one-time-use ...
The only monkey wrench cast into the cogwheels of the Rally For Unity, was the circulation of leaflets opposing the highly publicised event. The leaflets contained the usual rhetoric, claiming that the organisers were traitors and that their facelessness should be of critical concern. Only the organisers weren’t faceless. Sure, they weren’t one body but a group of different ...
Women we spoke to in Kilinochchi. Photograph by Imaad Majeed As insensitive as it may seem I was a little disappointed by what I discovered in Kilinochchi last weekend. I was expecting to find damning evidence of population control; which has been termed ‘genocide’ by the former Indian Minister of Health at the UN General Assembly. Instead, it turned out ...
Because marrying her rapist is only way a victim can live down the shame and dishonour of being raped. As for the rapist, well, marrying his victim absolves him of committing a grave crime, of course? Read the article about it here- New Anti-rape Laws Proposed. Let me break it down and give you reasons as to why this ...
It’s pink, it’s petite and it’s deadly. Just what we women have been longing for! The Pink Lady is also christened “Nirbheek”, after the Delhi December 2012, gang rape victim. It’s a little revolver that will fit snugly in handbags; ready to be fished out and fired at any potential rapist before they are even close enough to touch their victim. ...
I’d recommend you make a little trip down South. To the Galle Fort to be precise. There’s a lovely new pizzeria called “Allora Italian Cuisine”, that serves up absolutely delicious thin crust pizzas. They come in one size- large, which is 8 slices. Prices for the pizzas range from Rs. 990 to Rs. 1200. Here’s what we had- The Beef ...
It’s begun. Most of the houses around Java Lane have been reduced to rubble. I went around yesterday, and most of the families were still around, watching their old houses being brought down in clouds of dust. I was told that since the demolition began some of the valuables that were built into the house (or building material that could ...
This week’s dailys carried articles about a 5 year old girl who was strangled and sexually abused. A 5 year old. I couldn’t bring myself to read more about it. Today, I received a mail from a prominent activist. It was about the rape and abuse of an autistic young man. These monsters are everywhere and sexual abuse and intimidation of ...
Having lived a greater part of their lives on the move and in tin-roof shelters or tents, the IDPs of Kilinochchi finally have a chance to settle down. Those who have been able to lay claim to their ancestral land, said that their dream for years has been to build a beautiful house in which they can permanently reside. ...
In a lodge, a little off Kathmandu in Nepal, I sat in rapt attention listening as Sunila Abeysekera spoke about her campaigns. She had a full-day session with us (a group of activists from South Asia) on ‘Gender and Human Rights’, and it was certainly one of the most interesting sessions we had throughout the month-long programme. However, apart ...
Apparently, Miss Sri Lanka 2013 is ugly. Her features aren’t good enough to represent Sri Lanka, and she’s got dark skin (quite aside from the fact that most Sri Lankans are dark). Some people suspect foul play. They charge that the only way she could have won the ‘Miss Sri Lanka’ title is if she had some political backing ...
Last month I had the opportunity to participate, and represent Sri Lanka, in a Summer School programme by the United Nations, in New York. It was set up in 2005 by the former Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and it’s designed to bring together youth from around the world who are working on bringing about positive social change, and address pressing global ...
pic credit- Colombo Gazette And now the Jaffna office has been burnt down. The Government has been quick state this was a malicious act conducted by Uthayan to frame the government. Sure, Uthayan Newspapers which has been around since 1985– and which has continued to publish their paper even though they’ve been attacked, and journalists and staff killed– would set ...
To my right a man is hauled off by the police. He tries to resist but it’s futile as four policemen load him into a police jeep and drive off. I’m snapping away as the jeep speeds off into the distance, when a voice behind me asks, ‘what just happened?’ I explain to the man in a brown t-shirt, that ...
Dear Bodu Bala Sena, Over the past few months I’ve come to notice that you seem to dislike Halal meat. Perhaps you dined at a Halal restaurant and found the meat gamey. I can assure you though, that Halal meat is not too different from any other meat. What makes meat Halal is merely in the way the animal ...
…like this- Though it seems there are a few who believe the global One Billion Rising (OBR) campaign undermines the work of grassroot level organisation working on GBV (such as what this article expressed- Natalie Gyte). Or that it’s a campaign on a treadmill, like this comment on the Daily FT: In response to Natalie Gyte and Arvind, expecting a ...
I have a proposal to all those who drive in Sri Lanka. It’s a protest of sorts against a menace that has killed a few, left some severely injured, damaged vehicles and property, and angered even those who don’t drive. I’m writing about the army and police convoys that clear the streets for ministers, who seem to be in ...
…through the streets of Katmandu. A wider street in New Road, Kathmandu Almost racing to keep up, we’re following our Nepali friend cum tour/foody guide. We navigate through New Road (a Pettah-like) marketplace– weaving through dense crowds of people, squeezing through narrow alleys, leaping out of the way of crazy motorcyclists and chickens, dipping through hobbit-sized entrances that lead into (what seems ...
“Statistics have revealed that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS”. Another reason as to why I am rising, and this is what I stated in the One Billion Rising (OBR) South Asia video ...
