A research project was commissioned by the National Committee on Women (NCW) to understand the reasons for the delays and low conviction rates in rape prosecutions in the Colombo district of Sri Lanka as a pilot study which would be the base for further research and future remedial action. WERC was selected as the implementing organization for the research on Understanding the Challenges to Obtaining an Effective Legal Responses to
Continue ReadingResearch papers of writers from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who participated at the South Asia Conference 2017 titled 'Cultural Productions from a Gender Perspective' which was held November 2017, are currently being reviewed by a panel of experts and collated into a publication for wider dissemination.
Continue ReadingThis survey was a part of the project titled "Awareness Creation among School Children and Mystery Painting for Abused Children in the Western Province" funded by the Australian High Commission. Focus of the enquiry was divided into 2 main sections: map out the child protection service provisions available to Sri Lankan children living in the Western province in Sri Lanka; and, explore children's experiences of perceived incidents of child abuse. This survey also dealt with the information such as the reasons having
Continue ReadingThis research tried to analyze the violation of women's reproductive health rights. Based on interview techniques, this research mainly concentrated on forced sterilization in the plantation sector. The study looked at the lack of providing true and correct information about sterilization, lack of medical care and after care, failure to obtain the signature of consent from the wife and husband, lack of proper transport for the patients, as some of the most significant violations of human rights in the plantation sector.
Continue ReadingThis research explored Tamil women's writings in English and this was new experience for many activists. The inspiration to do this research arose within the writer, seeing the themes that differed from that of Tamil male Diaspora writers. This research report was published as a book and was launched on July, 29th 2006 at the Social Scientists Association Auditorium. The book launch was presided by late Ms. Bernadeen Silva and Ms. Nimanthy Rajasingham reviewed it. To see the book, click here.
Continue ReadingDue to a project implemented by WERC and funded by SAFI/Q in 2006 to advocate for implementation of the SAARC Convention on preventing trafficking of women and children for prostitution, an outcome of conducting a research on migrant women workers occurred. Additionally, as an outcome of it, a committee against trafficking was also formed consisting of some key stakeholders working on this issues of trafficking in Sri Lanka. This research was funded by De Zaaire Foundation, Netherlands and MATCH International, Canad
Continue ReadingWERC commenced the above research in December 2009 with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); its scope was to identify gender discriminatory and exploitative practices and rituals in the Hindu ideology in Sri Lanka. This also aimed to sensitize the Hindu community at large and the educationalists, NGO activists, teachers and lawyers on the said discriminatory and exploitative practices. A field research carried out in various parts of the country on the diverse patterns of gender discrimination
Continue ReadingThis research was undertaken by WERC with the aim of providing comprehensive and in-depth information of the existing women's movements. WERC explored all the possible means available in collecting the data which was completed in 2008. The intention was to capture all pictures of the Movement for the research. The interview process covered all the provinces. The research report covered not only data and outcomes of discussions but also includes literature and archival references of each of the organization. WERC wa
Continue ReadingThis project is funded by United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN), and is simultaneously implemented in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The goal of the programme is to enable widows to become agents of change and access their entitlements with dignity. The project envisions to reduce the social ostracism of widows and create community level, rights-based mechanisms that challenge the social norms that they are forced to abide by in South Asia. It also seeks to facilitate mainstream
Continue ReadingThe field survey for this study was carried out in 1992 in seven locations in the Kalutara district. The objective of the study was to identify the working conditions and problems of women workers in the rubber plantations. The relative neglect of female labour in rubber plantations by researchers is perhaps due to the fact that Sri Lanka’s plantation sector is readily identified with the up-country tea economy. The findings of the research were published under the name "Life Under Milk Wood".
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