President instructs Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus to finalise Gender Equality Bill soon

At a meeting held at the Parliament complex recently, President Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus to finalise the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Bill within the first six months of next year, The meeting was held to review the current progress and future activities of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus.

MP Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Chair of the Caucus, stated that the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment, and the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, have jointly initiated work on this Bill.

The President instructed the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus to prepare the preliminary plans related to the establishment of a separate agency for women and gender together with the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment and assured that it will be established soon. He emphasized the importance of carrying out these activities with the coordination of all relevant institutions in the formulation of laws and policies.

President Wickremesinghe also instructed the officials to provide foreign training for those involved in women and children’s affairs.At the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of Independence, the President also instructed the women parliamentarians to organize a series of programmes on women’s and children’s rights as well as gender equality.

The female parliamentarians requested the President to appoint a separate commission for women’s rights and gender equality. The need to increase the representation of women in politics was also discussed. These MPs pointed out the need to give more opportunities to female candidates in polls, including parliamentary elections.

They requested the President not to reduce the existing 25% quota for women in the local council elections and the President said that there is no expectation of reducing it at all.The President also said that steps will be taken to solve the existing vacancies of female police officers immediately. The President also stated that steps will be taken to inform the Inspector General of Police to allocate a space for women to submit their complaints in a way that protects the privacy in every police station.

In addition, the need to prevent mothers, with children under five years of age, from traveling abroad, and the protection of the rights of women, incarcerated in prisons, and other issues concerning women and children, were also discussed.