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‘Rural women need inclusive approach to recover from COVID-19 negative impact’
Chairperson of the Women’s Caucus in Parliament and Primary Health Care, Epidemics and Covid Disease Control State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle says rural women need an inclusive approach to recover from COVID-19 negative impact.
Making a statement on behalf of the Parliament Women’s Caucus to mark the international day for women, the Minister said: “A day dedicated to rural women falls in October. It is appropriate to consider how best to adopt an inclusive approach to engage rural women to help them recover from the negative impact of COVID.”
“We will therefore make all efforts to prioritise our agenda and help them recover and rebuild through the new normal,” she said.
Excerpts from her statement: “Rural women work in the agriculture sector. Around 25.5% of the population in Sri Lanka engage in agriculture. More than 81 percent of Sri Lanka’s population lives in rural areas. Four fifths of the country’s poor people are dependent on the rural sector. Women comprise at least 50 per cent of this demography. The disruption of supply chains in COVID, and the impact of climate change, have led to many hardships for them – both at work and in their homes”.
“These rural women invariably take the brunt of such a financial downturn. It has a spin off effect on household income. Women are socialised and expected therefore to balance the home budget to feed and provide basic needs for their children. Family health is also placed in their hands as the care-giver. Access to markets, given the digital divide that already existed before COVID, is influencing mobility and access to information even more now. This makes it more difficult to continue their ‘businesses’ such as small-scale efforts like home gardening, and support to livelihoods that have hitherto supplemented household income. They have also felt their access to health including reproductive health service compromised in lockdown.
Rural women who live in proximity to water bodies play multiple roles in these sectors, contributing to household food security, economic development and national food security often as part of the value chain of small, medium or larger scale enterprises. Apart from all this, they also need to survive domestic violence with little referrals for help, especially given the COVID context. Hence, we need to design good social support programmes to strengthen robust development that lend to uplifting their living standards.
“Rural women have entered politics, too. This due to a 25% quota afforded via legislation which is salutary. We need such affirmative action to position them better. It is also reported that a majority of rural women with little formal education and exposure to decision making in public life, entered the local government political structure but enjoyed little voice. However, many are quick to criticise them on the basis that they have not delivered – perhaps due to the lack of experience, the bullying and violence suffered at the hands of their male counterparts, or for the lack of resources allocated for their focused areas of work. This has not helped realise their full potential in the job. These issues that compromise their performance and decision-making efforts need to be addressed in order to maintain their presence in politics. We need to give them a hand to improve their positioning and take their role as politician to a higher level of performing. It is the best way to encourage them to seek nominations, claim their rights as equal participants in the political arena and move ahead during and beyond the election cycle to being strategic decision-makers, contributing to the development and governance,” the Minister said.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
