HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF SRI LANKA, Annual Report 2019
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International Women’s Day 2019
A national round table discussion on the rights of women with disabilities
themed ‘Mainstreaming For A Life With Dignity’ was organized by the
Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka on 08 March 2019 in
commemoration of the International Women’s Day held at the Sri Lanka
Foundation Institute, Colombo 07. The discussion proceeded along four
broad areas, i.e. Education, Health, Employment, and Family Matters.
Dr.Sashika Jayalath, a medical officer attached to the Panadura Hospital
and a person with disabilities was the chief guest while the round table
discussion was moderated by Prof. Chandra Gunawardana, Emeritus
Professor of Education at OUSL and Ms. Thanuja Nawaratna, Attorney-atLaw. The audience comprised persons with
disabilities,
government
officials,
representatives of civil society organizations
including disability rights organizations. Issues
highlighted during the discussion were
Participants sharing their
views at the National Round- presented to the relevant government officials
Table to commemorate the
and viable solutions were explored, discussed,
International Women’s Day
and agreed upon by the gathering. The
2019
participation of the Chairpersons of the Election
Commission and the University Grants Commission at this event was
noteworthy.
Since 2017 the Commission pays homage to the efforts of women in the
informal economic sector during the International
Women’s Day commemoration. As an extension of
this recognition, an award ceremony is held during
the celebration to recognize the most noteworthy
The 2019 award for
contributions made by women’s associations and
‘Empowering women in
representatives who work tirelessly to empower the informal economic
sector’
women in the informal sector. In 2019, the award
for ‘Empowering women in the informal economic sector’ went to the Uva
Wellassa Women’s Organization. The Organization is based in a village in
Handapanagala. The award recognized their contribution as an
independent organization towards the empowerment of women through
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