The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I thank Hon. Rohini Kumari Wijerathna for bringing this timely motion.

¶ 02 According to a UNDP report, 61% of women in Sri Lanka face gender-based harassment at places of work, and 90% encounter sexual harassment during public transport. In the North and East, these numbers may be even higher, though underreported as many women hesitate to disclose during surveys.

¶ 03 Under our Penal Code, it is onerous for a woman to pursue a complaint through courts. Cases linger 15–20 years, discouraging victims. Meanwhile, we see disturbing trends where some exploit images of women and even children on platforms like TikTok and YouTube for income — notably affecting women-headed households in the North, East, and plantation areas. A key reason is inadequate performance of local protective mechanisms.

¶ 04 In one instance, when a complaint was lodged at the Ramanathapuram Police regarding defamatory sexualized media content targeting a female candidate, the response was that unless intimate images were released, no action could be taken — effectively waiting for the worst harm before acting. This reflects deeply problematic policing standards.

¶ 05 UN Human Rights Council reports identify sexual abuse against women and children as a severe human rights concern. I urge the Hon. Minister Savithri Paulraj to ensure that complaints from Tamil-speaking women in the North and East can be lodged directly through online channels and acted upon within 24 hours. Though hotlines like 1938 exist, implementation is weak. Please deploy app-based mechanisms to lodge complaints easily and protect complainants, with Tamil-language accessibility. Thank you to Hon. Rohini Kumari Wijerathna and Hon. Savithri Paulraj for this opportunity.