Handout 4: Poverty and GBV Poverty in Sri Lanka has a direct affect on women. Despite an increase in employment and the resultant decline in the rate of unemployment, income inequalities have remained and there have been little change in the poverty status experienced in Sri Lanka. At present a large segment of the population, over 40% lives below the poverty line. The fact that more than half the population of Sri Lanka is women highlights the gravity of the poverty status of women, although specific statistics are scarce. Women’s access to employment and income are critical indicators of the status of women in relation to poverty. While there has been an increase in women’s labour force participation in the past years, women’s unemployment remains significantly higher when compared to that of men. The component on women, poverty and the economy in the National Plan of Action for women recognizes that approximately 21% of households are female headed. Current statistics reveal that the Head Count Index (proportion of population below national poverty line) for female headed households is 21.5 compared with 23.0 for male headed households.1 Many of the Sri Lanka’s poverty alleviation programmes reinforce gender stereotyping and subordination of women. Micro credit programmes aiming at reducing poverty largely target women as the better repayers of loans. But many while economically empowering women have reinforced women’s status as secondary income earner and further ensnared women into a form of debt that is disempowering. Sri Lanka has not properly documented the effect of poverty as a cause of gender based violence. Poverty is often cited, without adequate research, as a cause of gender based violence, especially domestic violence. However women’s organizations that provide support services record no direct links between poverty and gender based violence and conclude that violence against women takes place in low economic (poor) as well as in affluent(rich) situations. Handout 5: Women’s ownership of property and GBV There are no countrywide gender disaggregated statistics available as regards land ownership in Sri Lanka, either in regard to private property or to the distribution of State land. While it is difficult to maintain such statistics in regard to private property, it is unfortunate that the relevant State institutions involved with land distribution have not maintained them as regards the latter. Studies by individual researchers provide some information on the issue but this is an area in which there is a distinct lack of hard data. 1 90 Sri Lanka National Plan of Action on Women (Draft 2008)