Legal Aid Commission

White Ribbon to eliminate violence against women

Special programme from November 25 to December 10:

The Legal Aid Commission (LAC) will launch a programme of activities from November 25 to December 10 to mark International day for the elimination of violence against women. The LAC and its 68 islandwide centres, will like in the previous years, continue the “White Ribbon Program’ and conduct legal awareness programs during this period.

Despite remarkable progress being made by Sri Lanka in reducing gender parity reaching the 16th position in the world overtaking even the developed countries, the violence against women appears to continue unabated. Legal Aid Commission’s statistics disclose that major share of its legal aid recipients were women victims, in domestic violence and applicants in maintenance cases.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

In 1961 the three Mirabel sisters in the Dominican Republic who protested against the dictatorship were killed. This started the movement of women to protest against violence which the UN officially recognized in 1999, and declared November 25 as the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women”.

According to a UN Report,” a quarter of all women are raped during their lifetime. Depending on the country, 25 to 75 percent of women are regularly beaten at home. Over 120 million women have undergone female genital mutilation. Rape has devastated women, girls and families in recent conflicts in Rwanda, Cambodia, Liberia, Peru, Somalia, Uganda and the former Yugoslavia”.

Sri Lankan women accounts for 52% of the population and earn the largest amount of foreign exchange through their sweat as foreign domestic workers, pliable underpaid workers in Garment Sweat Shops and as tea pluckers for the last 100 years in hill country estates.

Foreign Domestic employment is the heaven for legitimized trafficking in women and practice of violence against female dignity. But successive governments failed to take steps to negotiate safe employment contracts for their vulnerable domestic servants fearing the sources of valuable foreign exchange may get affected.

Legal measures

Since 1995, few legislative attempts were made by the male dominated Parliament to protest against violence against women.

The 1995 amendment brought to the Penal Code in Sri Lanka, creating penal offences for sexual harassment, abuse of children and incest has by and large remained unimplemented.

We are yet to see a recorded case of sexual harassment in the private sector being prosecuted or harassed women commuters in public transport protected. Pompous legislation is meaningless if the victims are in fact not protected.

The police consider violence against females as a cultural trait and not as a violation of the dignity of women.

The enactment of the Act to prevent Domestic Violence (34 of 2005) was passed to create a culture of non violence against women.

LAC through its islandwide Legal Aid centres have provided free legal advice and representations in courts for victims of domestic violence. The Legal Aid Commission has already published a booklet on the new law and has assured the public that LAC Lawyers would provide free legal assistance to violence victims of viloence to reduce this national scourge.

White Ribbon programme November 25

The 1995 Penal Code Amendments, specially section 345 was intended to curb sexual violence in public transport. LAC conducts a “White Ribbon” campaign from November 25 to mark the ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women” for 16 days until December 10, International Human Rights Day, to create awareness to take strong measures to implement the new law.

“White Ribbons” symbolized anti- violence against women. Please wear one and contribute to these programs to be nationally supported. If we do not treat 52% of our population of women equally with men, we will not develop this country. Please wear a “White Ribbon” on any day from November 25 to December 10.

S.S.Wijeratne

LAC certificate course in Para Legal studies

The LAC conducted, the first ever programme of a Para Legal nature in Sri Lanka, the Certificate Course for Management Assistants (Legal) in February, 2010. The Second Certificate Course in Para Legal Studies was launched on August 27, 2011.

The Third Para Legal training programme will commence in January, 2012.The LAC wishes to offer positions in the above programme for staff members from other areas that require exposure in basic law. The Course will be ideal for personnel from areas, such as, Customs, Insurance, Banking, Income Tax etc.

The course which is 60 hours (Lecture Sessions on 15 Saturdays) in duration will be conducted under the title “Certificate Course in Para Legal Studies” and will be conducted in English, with clarifications in Sinhala and Tamil. The syllabus of the course consists of two components. The Core Component will provide basic legal literacy and basic knowledge related to general court work. The special component incorporates themes related to the working environment of the participants.

The course will be held at the Sri Lanka Law College and will commence in January, 2012.

Please contact the course coordinators Ms. Lilanthi Kumari, AAL on Telephone No. 0112433618 - Legal Officer - Legal Aid Commission.

[QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS]

Social Security Board Act

Question: Please answer the following questions

* What is Social Security Board?
* What kind of benefit does a scheme like this offer?
* When is the pension payable?
* Who is entitled for Death gratuity under the Scheme?

Answer: The Social Security Board has been established under the Social Security Board Act No. 17 of 1996). Social Security Board has introduced a Pension and Social Security Benefit Scheme for self employed persons other than those in the Fisheries and Agriculture sectors and to administer and manage such scheme.

* Benefits under the Scheme (Social Security Board Act No. 17 of 1996 Section 8.(1))

A person who joins the scheme and to whom this Act applies (hereinafter referred to as the “Contributor”) shall be entitled to the following benefits under the scheme on such basis as may be prescribed-

(a) a periodical pension of a prescribed amount ;

(b) in cases of permanent partial disablement, a lump sum gratuity or if be continues to pay contributions after disablement, a lump sum gratuity and a pension when it becomes due;

(c) in cases of permanent total disablement, a lump sum gratuity or a periodical allowance of a prescribed amount ;

(d) a death gratuity.

(2) The basis of paying a pension, allowance or gratuity shall be prescribed taking into consideration, inter-alia, the period of contribution, the age of the contributor and the amount of contributions made by the contributor.

3.When pension payable (Social Security Board Act No. 17 of 1996 Section 9.(1))

A Contributor shall be entitled to a pension on reaching the age of sixty years. A Contributor who begins to contribute after reaching the age of fifty five years shall however be entitled to a pension only after paying his entire contribution as may be prescribed and at the end of five years from the date of his joining the Scheme.

(2) The pension shall be paid up to the end of the month in which the Contributor dies.

*Death gratuity(Social Security Board Act No. 17 of 1996 - Sect 13 )

In the event of the death of a Contributor before he becomes entitled to receive his pension, a death gratuity calculated on such basis as may be prescribed shall be paid to his surviving spouse and legitimate children or to his immediate relatives by blood in such proportions and in such order of priority as is specified in the Second Schedule to this Act.”

National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities

Question: Please let me know the details about the National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities and its contact details?

Answer: The National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities is established under the Ministry of Social Services to fulfill following objects:

*To ensure promotion, advancement and protection of rights of persons with disabilities through guidance, support coordination, implementation and monitoring of development activities to ensure promotion, advancement and protection of rights of persons with disabilities through guidance, support coordination, implementation and monitoring of development activities.

* To provide leadership and initiative to the self employed persons and those employed in the informal sectors to enhance their socio-economic conditions and thereby make them contribute to the social development.

The address is as follows-

National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities,

Ministry of Social Services
1st floor,
Sethsiripaaya,
Battharamulla.

General Number: 011- 2887349/50/51

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Bank

Question: How does the Central Bank differ from Commercial Banks?

Sadunika
Matara

Answer: Central Bank is a statutory body that is established under the Monetary Law Act initially enacted by Act No. 58 of 1949. It is the monetary authority, which has powers and functions and responsibilities necessary for the purpose of establishment, administration and regulation of the monetary system of Sri Lanka.

The two core objectives of the Central Bank, as stipulated in the Monetary Law Act, are: achieving of the economic and price stability and the financial system stability of the country through effective monetary policy and prudential supervision and regulation of banking institutions.

The Central Bank being the monetary authority is at the apex of the financial system functioning as a banker to commercial banks.

It provides reserves to the system. Commercial banks are banking institutions with power to maintain current accounts and providing all commercial banking services to their customers.