Day sixteen features a photograph by Raashid Riza. It’s the final day of the campaign and we’re highlighting how children affected by domestic violence. Contributing to the topic, the following post was made by Bhagya Senaratne. Their Story It’s not my story to tell. However, I have been privy to this for a few years [...]
What comes to mind when you think of Vesak? I am sure you’re reminded of observing sil, going to the temple and worshipping, the jathaka stories, the stories from life of Lord Buddha, the importance of the Dhamma etc. I am sure that thoughts of making Vesak koodu (lanterns) at home, of the lavishly lit [...]
Beyond Borders is deeply saddened by the death of Nigel de Silva – a close friend of Beyond Borders and personal friend to many at BB. Nigel came into the world of Beyond Borders shortly after the inception of BB, as a facilitator, a resource-person and mentor, and a valuable asset to the HIV/AIDS related [...]
Day six features a photograph by Hanim AbdulCader. Most domestic violence cases go unreported. Many victims foster a false sense of hope that things will change and turn around for the better. The victim thinks the abuse is caused by a flaw in the relationship that could simply be worked out. They don’t see it [...]
Day fifteen features a photograph by T. Intimate partner violence is a little studied, yet frequently occurring phenomenon in Sri Lanka. IPV occurs in many ways, including psychical, verbal, psychological and sexual abuse by a spouse. Reports show that there is a high prevalence of abuse such as marital rape and sexual abuse, wife beating [...]
In Sri Lanka sexual offenders are pretty much the same as petty thieves. After all, assaulting and raping a 12 year old girl is the same as stealing mangoes from your neighbours garden– at least that’s how our judiciary see it. In 1995, after much coercion by women’s rights lawyers and activists, a law was [...]
Day Four features a photograph by Rushda Mohinudeen. Each year young women and even younger girls from distant villages are coaxed to Colombo with false promises of well paying jobs. When they reach Colombo however, they’re are forced into the sex worker trade. It’s involuntary. It’s illegal. It’s against fundamental human rights. Watch this blog [...]
As most of my friends and I have had our fair share of encounters with perverts, mostly while travelling in public transport. Initially when a woman encounters such weird disturbing characters we become scared and even come to a point to be ashamed that maybe it was our fault for have invited such due to [...]
Last year, someone known to me was flickering with ebullience and oomph that she was going to get married. She was gracious enough to let my eyes run through her gifts of velvet cased jewellery and other apple polished frilly elegance. She also told me the guy was 23, fluent in his English because she wasn’t and hadn’t [...]
Day eleven features a photograph by T. In our homes, on our roads, in our classrooms and at our workplaces, women and men are subject to harassment, abuse and injury on a daily basis. A reported 60% of women suffer from domestic violence; simple extrapolation suggests that all of us are victim to some form [...]
Two months ago I sat for my first year final exams at the Open University of Sri Lanka. Last months edition of the Hi Magazine showcased 3 pages of clothes from designer K.T Brown – modelled by me. And in December, I will be on Art TV – as a contestant for the Super Model [...]
The Rio+20 Summit is in full swing and the Sri Lankan arm has taken its first initiative, in which a statement has been presented to the Minister of Environment. Post-war Sri Lanka certainly is in need of a system of sustainable development and at this stage the country has a fresh start in which adopting [...]
It’s admirable to know that there is at least a certain section of society concerned about the mental and physical violence that women and men have to undergo, but I believe that activism which encourages victims to voice their sufferings should not just stop there. Voicing to the world about the brutality one undergoes or [...]
Did you know that there aren’t many pictures available on the internet in regard to gender based violence? It’s true. We combed Google Images and came across only a few. So, Beyond Borders decided to make a compilation of photographs on gender based violence. These pictures will be freely available on the internet for download [...]
Day Seven features a photograph by Sara Kellapatha. Every year, large numbers of Sri Lankan women travel to countries in the Middle East to be employed as housemaids and in doing so, they leave behind their families, most often husbands and children. What some of them may not know is that the female children in [...]
Click on an image to view slide show. -Megara Tegal Meg is a member of the steering committee of Beyond Borders. She’s a journalist and a world class klutz. She blogs here. Her opinions are her own.
The trouble with man-induced destruction is that ‘law’ cannot keep up with ‘science’. Science has no morals; from animal testing to finding cures for diseases that once were a stamped passport to the after life. It has no scruples as to whether research and development or inventions are detrimental to the world. It’s all about wanting to know more, [...]
One Billion Rising has been launched in several countries, and on Sunday Sri Lanka joined the growing list. Women in Need conducted a walk the same day that led to Galle Face where OBR Sri Lanka was launched, with motivating speeches from inspirational women, street theater, song and dance. At Galle Face for the launching of [...]
We support this and we’ll be at Galle Face for the launch of One Billion Rising in Sri Lanka. Yes, one billion exceeds our 20 million population. And that’s what’s startling. See, the UN has discovered that 1 in 3 women become victims of gender based violence everyday. With a world population that stands at [...]
5,081 people that is. The petition was created by a small group of concerned Sri Lankan citizens, following the systematic harassment of minority communities around the island over the past few months. What started out with banning Halal food, rapidly developed into arson attacks on Muslim owned businesses, defacing of Mosques and attacks on Churches. That’s […]