Addressing gender based violence in Sri Lanka necessarily involves addressing unequal power structures between men and women. Whether this (the issue of addressing power structures) is clearly articulated or not, every initiative, campaign or discussion that addresses gender based violence deals with these power structures that exists in diverse forms within different ethnic groups, within and between class barriers, within religious faiths, in public institutions and offices and within the private sphere. Creating a more equitable/equal relation of power between women and men can be achieved by changing structures and functions of power systems that reinforce inequality. Examples of different degrees of power relations • Domestic power – patriarchal structure (men’s/boys power over women/girls) • Social power – social divisions such as gender, age, caste, class, ethnicity, race • Institutional power- family, religion, education, occupation • Administrative and governing power- typical hierarchical system of administration, decision making power, political power In order to reduce GBV women should have equal power/rights as men. To achieve this, power structures should be addressed under three different levels; individuals/household level, community/society and State. Therefore, working towards the creation of equitable relations of power is a vital step towards reducing GBV. Issues surrounding gender based violence in Sri Lanka: From the acceptance of the provisions contained in the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women to the Beijing Platform for Action, to resultant local policies, commitments and legislation, Sri Lanka has come out of the veil of silence surrounding gender based violence. But the recognition of gender based violence as a result of underlying gender inequalities and power imbalances is yet to be commonly accepted – thus initiatives to combat gender based violence often rest on redressal or preventive efforts through awareness raising targeted at addressing the issue of violence and not often enough on strategically addressing the root causes of inequality and power. Discussions with service providers reveal that gender based violence in Sri Lanka has increased in the past few years. As stated earlier, it is not certain if this increase is due to increased reporting resulting from awareness creation or due to the actual increase in incidences of violence against women. However, the same service providers report an increase in the level of brutality in cases of violence against women, linking this to the general increase in violence in today’s Sri Lanka. 87