The Hon. (Mrs.) Geetha Herath, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Madam Presiding Member, thank you for inviting me to speak on International Women’s Day during the NPP’s inaugural Budget, on the Vote of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs. Compared to previous Budgets, this Vote has more deliverable features. This Budget is for 2025; we have five years to do even better.

¶ 02 Maxim Gorky once said, “The world is sustained by the rays of the sun and a mother’s milk.” It shows the mother’s value. We plan many programmes to ensure women’s safety, recognition, and economic strength. Under this Ministry, Rs. 63 million is allocated to empower women through entrepreneurship—particularly those at risk in selected sectors.

¶ 03 Sri Lankan women often start their day at 2, 3, or 4 a.m., complete all household and children’s duties, go to work, and return to more duties. Some work because of economic hardship. We have identified such challenges and will implement targeted programmes under this Vote: - Women constitute about 52% of the population but only about 32% of the economic contribution; we must increase this. - About 51% of the plantation population is identified as poor; 1 in 6 Sri Lankans is poor; 80% live in rural areas; 24.5% of households are women-headed. - Women prisoners increased from 215 (2021) to 390 (2022) to 644 (2023); 62% studied only up to Grade 8—this requires focused assistance.

¶ 04 Planned programmes include: - Empowerment of low-income urban women. - Supporting widows to become home-based entrepreneurs. - “Diriya Manpetha” livelihood support. - Strengthening women in cottage industries and handicrafts. - Empowering plantation women. - Alternative income programmes to ensure safety and economic stability of families of migrant women. - Support for girls over 18 leaving child-care institutions for reintegration and livelihoods. - Addressing exploitation by unregulated microfinance in rural areas. - Training to improve women’s income generation.

¶ 05 Aligned with “Prosperous Country - Beautiful Life,” empowering women makes sustainable development easier. Celebrations this week under the theme confirmed that women’s empowerment is essential for a sustainable tomorrow. We will fulfill this responsibility. Thank you.