Inadvertently of course. Though it’s quite sad that they campaign with such passion to be exactly what patriarchy (and capitalism) wants of women. Take slut-walk for instance. Sure, I agree that women should have the freedom to wear whatever they want and not be oogled or worse raped. But we all know that clothes have nothing to do with ...
Graffiti. The stuff we have in Sri Lanka ranges from school boys defaming other schools on random walls or spraying the name of their ex-girlfriends on walls and following it up with an expletive. Yeah, over here cans of spray paint are used for vandalism, revenge and defamation. Nothing pretty. But cities across the world, even our neighbour—India, have pretty ...
Because marrying her rapist is only way a victim can live down the shame and dishonour of being raped, yes? 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
So the Sinhalaya Travellers have been lying low for a while. Well actually, they’ve been on a few trips, skirting the realm of Death, but the official blog-updaters (Jerry and Halik) have been rather preoccupied with listening to Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream and studies (respectively). Anyway, getting back to the point of the post, sometime last week or later… I ...
