WODEP

Friday, July 24, 2015

Mid year gathering of National Women Federation conducted successfully

women leaders from 12 districts were gathered today (21/07/2015) to evaluate work carried out during past 6 moths period and prepare future work plans as national entity for women in the country.
Mr. Herman Kumara, National convenor of National Fisheries Solidarity Movement addressing the meeting, explained the present political situation of the country and to explain the women role in make necessary changes in the political arena of the country. pros and cons of the 100 day program of the newly elected government was also discussed during Mr. Kumara's speech.

District representatives presented past six months progress and failures of the women federation work in each districts.
A national level work plan was prepared for next five month of the year under five main theme areas to work.
1. Prepare a broad action plan to win the land rights of the people.
2. Actively work, especially during the election time period to win the demands of women which are already submitted in written form to the authorities.
3. Conduct district level walking campaign to show opposition and to awake people against women and chill abuse, rapes, drug distribution.
4. Village level awareness campaign against racism.
5. Work to increase of women representation in political arena in locally, regionally and nationally.
Meeting was concluded with hope of meet again in first week of the December in 2015.

Today NAFSO women,s wing started an experience exchange program among women from North, East and West with the intention of build strong relationship among women in different cultures, geographical areas and mainly strengthening the women who lost their breadwinners in North and East during war.
35 Women from 5 districts in North and East provinces met Women in Negombo fisheries villages who are members of Sri Vimukthi fisher women organisation. Negombo fisher women are very strong in civil activism and also they runs their organisation giving the strong leadership to the fisheries sector.

For the day, women form North and East got together in Sri Vimukthi F.W. organisation premises after having basic preparatory discussion in NAFSO in morning hours and conducted a dialogue to get build amicable relationship as women. During the discussions North and East women expressed their specific issues they faces as women who lost their husbands or breadwinner in the Family and issues they facing after the resettlements as war displaced people later host organisation brought the visitors for a field visit.
The visitors will meet women from several other districts from south to have more deeper discussions as women federation members which was established for win and get practically established women's rights in the country.

How long Pallimunai people to be displaced?

Pallimunai community in Manar district seems not received any dividends of peace as some others say. The 18 families have been displaced more than 8 years as they were displaced during the final war between government forces and the LTTE. The houses of 18 families have been captured by military since 2007 and they are still under their custody till now. Ms. Helena, a displaced family member told us, " We are fisher families lived peacefully. We had everything we wanted. When the day we displaced we had to walk from Pallimunai to Madhu church where we lived more than a year. Thanks to Bishop and all otherz took care us at that time. Because of that we are able to survive today. We faced all the brutality of the war. We are happy most displaced people are returning to their lands of origin though they dont have even a temporary shelter. Our houses are stll not destroyed and Navy is occupy them while we are still displaced. How long should we stay like this? We expect President and Cabinet pay attention to our grievances as we submitted our request through resettlement ministerMr. Swaminathan in early May this year."

"We are thankful for the listen to the voice of displaced people. But why not listen ours." Added Ms. Helen at a meeting organized by NAFSO and Mannar district fisheries solidarity on 20.06.2015
Antony Jesudasan, coordinator People to People Dialogue said at the meeting,"the courage of Pallimunai people motivated us to proceed with the issue. Untill the affected people unitedly fight for their rights we will be with you. Some of the displaced communities and the members betrayed us and we were frustrated with them. Let us unitedly fight to gain our rights."

Fight to gain the land and houses continued at Pallimunai, Mannar.

Conducted Women district comity meeting at Galle on 29 of June.26 village women leaders participated in nine villages.

We educated on NAFSO women program which is conducting in North and East.In the same time share the great women life stories. We discussed on life of Wangarri Matha. Then they identify the main problems in these areas.

01.Drugs.
02.Getting marriage under age.
03.Economic problems.
04.Increase of school drops out.
Finally they decided to.education program in each village with in next month.

Child labour is another painful legacy of Sri Lanka’s civil war

by Melani Manel Perera

With so many fathers and older brothers killed during the country’s civil war, many teenaged boys have to quit school in northern Sri Lanka in order to work in support of their families. According to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), known child workers top 107,000.

Colombo (AsiaNews) – Muththaiyah Dharshan, a 17-year-old teenager from Jaffna, has not been able to go school since the end of the civil war in 2009. For years, he has worked as a labourer on construction sites in order to provide for his family. With ten mouths to feed, his wages are all that keeps them away from hunger.
Dharshan is not alone. He is one of the more than 107,000 children and teenagers forced to work in Sri Lanka, at least according to official data provided by the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA). According to human rights activists, the actual figure is probably much higher.
On World Day against Child Labour (12 June), Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the government plans to introduce measures to help the poorest families so that their children might also receive a quality education.
In Sri Lanka, the school is compulsory up to the age 18 years. However, it is not uncommon in poor communities for children to quit to help their parents.
As Darshan’s case shows, the situation is especially widespread in north-eastern Sri Lanka, where the civil war was the most intense.
In addition, female-headed households tend to be disproportionately affected by child labour because of the loss of fathers, husbands and older brothers in the civil war.

"I can only speak for the five northern districts where we work,” said Lavina Hashanti, coordinator of the women's section for the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO), “but I see many children forced to work because they need money as a result of the death of their fathers or brothers in the war. It is sad.”
“It is unusual to see families where all the children go to school,” she told AsiaNews. “If there are four children, only two or three will receive an education. Inevitably, one will have to go to work to support his family."
"Most stop when they are 13 or 14 years old,” added the activist. “Typically, they find employment in fishing or farming. And what they earn goes to support their family.”
“I remember one kid in Kopaweli, Batticaloa. He was 14 years -old and had to give up school to allow his older brother to study. He now looks after cattle.”

Protest On Village level Issues

Marumalachchi women federation of District Fisheries and Agriculture Solidarity Movement in Batticoloa District stage a protest and march on Human elephant coexistence issues, Land & House issues and demanding basic needs. The protest and march was organized at Batticaloa twon yesterday more than 200 women representing from Kithul, Sarvodayanagar, Welikakandi, Thumpalaicholai, Urukamam and Kopaveli villages. Women'and Men leaders and activists from NAFSO national office and Batticaloa staff were participated.