The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity to speak in the Committee Stage debate of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs on this International Women’s Day. I extend greetings to the 22 women MPs and all women staff in this House.

¶ 02 A society can be strong only if women are empowered. For years, women have suffered subjugation. Let me echo Subramania Bharati’s lines: “Can we blind one of the two eyes? If we nurture women’s wisdom, the world will be without discrimination.” Women and men are the two eyes of the world; without one, we cannot strengthen the universe. He also urged: when wrongdoers abuse women, do not fear—resist.

¶ 03 Women are over half our population and can contribute equally to the economy. Women lead in many fields, yet too few of working-age women are employed or running enterprises due to barriers—household burdens and caregiving roles, employer reluctance linked to maternity leave costs, and stereotypes about women’s suitability for certain jobs. The war showed women can shoulder every responsibility.

¶ 04 To free women from these barriers, we must: - Create suitable job opportunities for women. - Provide childcare facilities so mothers can work. - Enact new labour laws.

¶ 05 In apparel and similar sectors, women stand long hours—12 hours—leading to health issues. Weak labour laws allow bogus agents to send women abroad who then face sexual and physical abuse, despite sending home millions in remittances. Plantation women are exploited at work sites.

¶ 06 Therefore, on this special day, I urge the Minister to: - Promote SMEs where women can engage. - Facilitate self-employment with financial support, including low-interest credit lines up to one million rupees. - Curb predatory microfinance in the North and East, where women are harassed, even for sexual bribes. - Provide training in enterprise, marketing, technology, and Good Manufacturing Practices, plus needed infrastructure.

¶ 07 On childcare policy: Sri Lanka has very limited childcare services. Childcare is a parental—not only maternal—duty; we need policies, services, and public awareness. In the North and East, after 30 years of war, three highly vulnerable groups dominate: female-headed households, children with special needs, and orphans. About a third of people fall into one of these categories, limiting society’s capacity to advance.

¶ 08 Many husbands surrendered to the military and are missing, killed, or in custody. There are over 90,000 female-headed households in the North and East. To improve their economies, the Government must give them focused attention.