The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj

¶ 01 Please grant me two minutes.

¶ 02 Those aged 14 to 18 can also face exploitation in workplaces. Although compulsory education is ensured up to 12 years, internationally anyone under 18 is considered a child. As Hon. Ramanathan Archchuna mentioned, we will bring all stakeholders — Members of Parliament, political parties, religious bodies, and civil society organizations — together to devise firm, consistent, evidence-based solutions.

¶ 03 Kandyan Law and Tesawalamai are regional laws; the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Law is a religion-based law. We cannot lump them together. We will appoint an expert committee, obtain their advice and act on their determinations. We guarantee this process. What we need is to build a women’s force for Sri Lanka’s development. I humbly request that we do not create unnecessary complications in a regularly proceeding process.

¶ 04 Finally, to Hon. Ramanathan Archchuna: calling someone a “bear” or “animal” demeans yourself. Please refrain from using such derogatory words that harm individuals in Parliament.

¶ 05 Today is International Women’s Day. In every home, children ask their mothers: “Where is my meal, my rice, bus fare, shoes, uniform, sanitary supplies?” But what do they ask fathers? Commonly, “Father, where is mother?” This shows the unique caregiving role mothers bear. Therefore, more than 85 percent of our Ministry’s total allocation this year is for the wellbeing of children. As a Government, we are advancing a gender-sensitive Budget. This is our first step towards building a better country for children and women.