The Hon. (Mrs.) Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, thank you for the opportunity.

¶ 02 Harnessing women’s labour in our democratic governance process is not a short-term symbolic initiative; it’s a long-term, complex, large-scale task, crucial for economic stabilization and also a profound socio-political undertaking. Women’s decision-making, intellect, logic, leadership, responsibility, and management capacities can be productively mobilized for national productivity.

¶ 03 Recently, the Transport and Highways Ministry recruited a cohort of female conductors to the SLTB. Some may see it as a mere administrative or symbolic step, but it signals deeper socio-political transformation. According to UNFPA’s 2019 survey, 90% of women globally experience some form of harassment in public transport at least once in their lives; Sri Lanka is no exception. Years ago, a European country even sent a team of female police officers here to observe and address harassment in public transport, but politics and malpractice stalled the effort—and those officers themselves faced difficulties.

¶ 04 From the woman conductor holding the ticket book to the policy maker, empowering women to contribute their labour is a major government project. In our government, women are not commodities for sale in the labour market, not showpieces, nor second-class workers. Globally, SDG 5 prioritizes gender equality and women’s empowerment.

¶ 05 I am happy to speak before you today—the first woman to be appointed Deputy Chairperson of Committees in our parliamentary history.

¶ 06 What have we done? We increased the preschool/early childhood morning meal allocation per child from Rs. 60 to Rs. 100, recognizing that mothers first secure their children’s nourishment. Through the budget we have allocated substantially to early childhood development centres and preschools, and under the Clean Sri Lanka project are moving to build nine international-standard preschools, one per province.

¶ 07 For women’s economic empowerment and to boost local economic participation, we funded 500 projects nationwide, active at district secretariat level. We established an online marketplace for women’s products and launched an all-in-one market concept via local authorities. To reduce care burdens and provide income opportunities—especially in urban areas—we initiated community kitchens and laundry services.

¶ 08 A key barrier to women’s labour participation is caregiving for children and the elderly. Therefore, at divisional and local authority levels, we are building a caregivers’ network. Benefits are twofold: trained women join the labour force with a jobs network, and the public can access reliable services at fair prices.

¶ 09 We introduced a “supply villages” concept so women can stabilize in production and supply chains. At divisional level we are rolling out “Diriya Man Petha” livelihood development, and at district level “Liya Shakthi” marketing programs.

¶ 10 For women with disabilities, the Government provides: up to Rs. 1 million to construct a house if they own land but have no house; Rs. 500,000 for repairs; up to Rs. 150,000 for sanitation; up to Rs. 35,000 for hearing aid parts; and up to Rs. 50,000 for mobility aids like air/water mattresses and prosthetic limbs (especially legs).

¶ 11 Pain is beyond words, but whether we succumb to it is our choice. Being born female is nature’s decision; being defeated by adversity is not. Building resilient women is a major task of the Government of Sri Lanka—not a partisan slogan. We will continue advancing women’s economic, political, social, and cultural empowerment. Thank you.