The Hon. (Dr.) Namal Sudarshana - Deputy Minister of Women and Child Affairs

¶ 01 [1.00 p.m.]

¶ 02 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, thank you for the opportunity. I am pleased to speak while you are in the Chair. The Motion moved today by Hon. Samanmali Gunasingha is timely and important.

¶ 03 Three days from now, on March 8, is International Women’s Day. The Day has over a century of history. On March 8, 1908, about 15,000 women gathered in New York demanding rights — suffrage, better pay, and limited working hours — planting the seed for Women’s Day. In 1910, Clara Zetkin, a lawyer engaged in the communist movement, proposed Women’s Day, and since 1911 it has been commemorated, now on March 8. This year, the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs will celebrate the Day in Matara under the theme, “In a Prosperous Country, the Proud Woman Leads the Way.” On March 7, we will recognize women entrepreneurs through the network of women’s organizations, select the best by district, award them, and create market space for their products.

¶ 04 The Motion calls for a National Care Policy, including accounting for unpaid care work in the economy and creating an enabling environment for the care economy. Our “A Prosperous Country — A Beautiful Life” policy entrusts responsibility to the Ministry. The Government Gazette of 25.11.2024 assigns us to reduce the burden of unpaid care work on women.

¶ 05 Accordingly, the Ministry has already taken initial steps. In the National Policy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment we have included reducing the unpaid care burden, and a detailed Action Plan is at its final stage, with the National Care Policy as a key action. We have held two rounds of consultations, with international and national organizations agreeing to support. After obtaining Cabinet approval and entering MoUs, we will proceed. A Steering Committee with suitable members will be established for oversight. We will also present the draft policy to the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus for inputs.

¶ 06 Additionally, we have examined inputs from the Labour Ministry. We are preparing a National Social Protection Strategy in which social care is identified as a key pillar. Recognizing increased female labour force participation and changes in family structures, the Government is intervening to introduce mechanisms to strengthen childcare, eldercare, and other related care services. The Labour Ministry, the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, and the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Protection and Community Empowerment have commenced joint preliminary work. A committee is in place to develop an action plan to standardize and strengthen care services across relevant ministries. We also aim to identify the economic value of unpaid care work and…