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
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