Safeguard the rights of vulnerable workers

Keynote Address by Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe at a discussion on ‘Towards a society free of gender-based violence’ organized by the Zonta Club II of Colombo held on December 7, 2009. Part II was published yesterday

This is not just a matter of national concern, sexual violence against women in such circumstances has recently been highlighted globally. The recent UN Security Council Resolution 1889 adopted in October reaffirms Resolution 1325 of 2000 on ‘women and peace and security’, and condemns continuing sexual violence against women in conflict and post-conflict situations. We must maintain the sound record we have maintained up to now in preventing such abuse among the conflict-affected and ensure that all violence against women across the spectrum is prevented and, eventually, eradicated.

We have also successfully negotiated with the United Nations Country Team, a program of assistance - the Joint Program on Human Rights - to help build key capacities in Sri Lankan institutions in promoting and protecting human rights.

Support to my Ministry in developing and implementing the National Action Plan that I referred to is just one component. Another key component is the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 by Child Development and Women’s Empowerment Ministry. This Resolution was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council in 2000. It marked a watershed in the evolution of international women’s rights in the context of peace and security issues.

It was the first formal and legal document from the Security Council that required parties to a conflict to respect women’s rights and to support their participation in peace negotiations and, of particular relevance to Sri Lanka, in post-conflict reconstruction.

It was the first Security Council Resolution specifically addressing the disproportionate and unique impact of conflict on women as well as women’s unique potential to contribute to sustainable peace which still remains undervalued and under-utilized. It encourages women’s equal and full participation as active players in assuring peace and security.

We must all maximize our efforts to ‘win the peace’ and not be satisfied with merely the military defeat of terrorism - even though that victory was truly awe-inspiring. We must all pull together - across ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural boundaries - and I am of the view that the contribution of women would be critically important if we are to gain an ultimate triumph. We must pay due attention to the gender dimension of the national reconciliation initiative which the President is giving personal leadership to.

Another important issue in the post-conflict phase is that of female ex-combatants who are among the approximately 11,000 ex-combatants currently undergoing rehabilitation. We have developed a national framework and an action plan in consultation with all stakeholders and I am certain that special needs of women ex-combatants will receive the attention it demands as we try to ensure their re-integration into civilian life in the new Sri Lanka that we are in the process of building. These women - many of them very young when they were recruited, most of them forcibly recruited - have undergone hardship and suffered trauma.

Yet another concern is a direct result of the conflict and poses the risk of violence against and hardship for women. This does not limit itself to the theatre of conflict alone but applies to many women and families throughout the country.

This problem centres around female-headed households - many of which have been created due to casualties suffered during the conflict. The special vulnerabilities of women in this situation were highlighted in many instances in the post-tsunami reconstruction phase. There are legal as well as attitudinal barriers and obstacles that women who are the sole breadwinners and heads of family units have to face.

In some cases, they also have to care for a disabled spouse while maintaining and running the home and nurturing the family. While in theory they should have equal status and should not have any added difficulty due to their gender, we would all regretfully acknowledge that it is not the reality. It is an area that some are already focusing attention on but I would urge you, with the human and intellectual resources you posses, to pay greater attention to.

Another area of concern is the plight of women migrant workers who are particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Unregistered workers who leave Sri Lanka without availing themselves of the statutory protections afforded them are at many times the magnitude of risk posed to registered migrant workers.

Recent legal changes made, enhance the powers of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment to encourage voluntary registration which enables a female worker who is subjected to harassment, abuse or exploitation to rely on the insurance policy that is the automatic result of the registration process.

The Bureau is also given enhanced powers to bring offenders to book and safeguard the rights of vulnerable workers, particularly women.

Concluded