Safety & Equality
With multi-year funding from Global Affairs Canada, Developing World Connections (DWC) is poised to implement a new program, “No to Gender Violence in Sri Lanka”, that will assist in a country-wide effort to effect meaningful change in the values and practices toward gender equality and sexual gender-based violence. DWC’s specific role is to improve status and increase safety for women and girls in three districts of Sri Lanka: Hambantota, Batticaloa and Kilinochchi. Two of these districts were heavily impacted by civil war, which ended in May 2009 leaving many lingering effects, among them, PTSD and higher rates of gender-based violence than average.
Background
Gender stereotypes prevail and the concept of male supremacy persists in Sri Lanka. It is considered normal for men to be dominant and maintain power and control. Cultural norms give more power to men over women and set lines of conduct where women and men have different and unequal access to and control over resources. Gender-based violence in Sri Lanka is pervasive, cutting across class, race, ethnicity and religion.
Read More in the Full PDF
Training
Training is at the heart of DWC’s “No to Gender Violence in Sri Lanka” program and is the main mechanism leading to safer women and girls.
This training will provide more effective leadership for those working to implement the National Action Plan. This includes representatives of the Ministry of Provincial Councils, Women’s Federations, Youth Caucuses, Local Government, NGOs, and officers working at a village
Read More in the Full PDF
Program undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada.