HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF SRI LANKA, Annual Report 2019 The Sub-Committee on the Rights of LGBTIQ Persons discussed the challenges faced by transgender persons when applying for the Gender Certificate such as the requirement to undergo surgery and hormonal therapy in order to obtain the gender certificate, which prevents those who do not wish to undergo such treatments from obtaining the gender certificate. The Committee also decided to initiate discussions with the Ministry of Health to ascertain the feasibility of amending such mandatory requirements as hormonal therapy. Further, the Committee discussed issues faced by LGBTIQ persons in universities, such bullying and alienation. It decided to conduct awareness programmes for university lecturers, staff and the students to sensitize them to issues faced by LGBTIQ persons. The Sub-Committee also decided to meet the Secretary, Ministry of Justice to discuss the decriminalization of same sex relations; to request the police to submit to HRCSL the curriculum they use for officer training, review the training material and thereafter convene a meeting with DIG-Training to discuss the inclusion of LGBTIQ rights in the curriculum; to advocate for separate health education for school children which includes Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE); to conduct discussions with the Election Commission on the difficulties faced by LGBTQI community at elections; and to issue a recommendation to the Registrar General’s Department to amend the requirement that persons under 21 years need to obtain the approval of parents or guardians to change their names in the birth certificate and enable all persons over 18 to obtain it without parental approval. During the year, the Sub-Committee on Plantation Workers’ Rights decided to conduct a discussion with the Registrar General on the many issues relating to identity documents faced by Plantation workers. The Sub-Committee also decided to conduct Human rights awareness programmes for plantation worker communities and training programmes for police officers in the plantation areas. 4.2. National Studies conducted 68