BATTICALOA : Petition demanding the immediate functioning of the Independent National Commission on Women
The Independent National Commission on Women established under the Women Empowerment Act No. 37 of 2024, and the commissioners were appointed in September 2025. However, due to lack of political will it has not been able to function and finally the first chair of the commission Dr. Ramani Jayasundere resigned in January of 2026.
” We are women living across all areas of Batticaloa who continue to rebuild our lives in the aftermath of war, recurring disasters, and ongoing economic hardship. We sustain households, care for families, protect livelihoods, and support our communities while responding to climate-related crises, rising living costs, and social uncertainty. In our daily lives, we face different forms of violence, insecurity, economic pressure, discrimination, and unequal treatment within homes, workplaces, and public spaces.
Yet when women seek justice or protection, the process itself often becomes another struggle. Reporting abuse may require travelling long distances, overcoming stigma and community pressure, repeating painful experiences to multiple authorities, or confronting systems that do not listen seriously to women’s concerns. Rural women, women-headed households, informal workers, survivors of violence, and young women face additional barriers shaped by poverty, social expectations, and limited institutional support.
For us, access to protection and justice is not only a policy discussion. it is about safety, dignity, survival, and the ability to live without fear. These lived realities make it clear why a strong and independent national mechanism dedicated to women’s rights is essential. We have been part of the national women’s movement call for establishing this commission for over a decade.
The establishment of the National Commission on Women recognizes the state’s responsibility to address discrimination and promote gender equality. The Act provides for the Commission to receive complaints, conduct inquiries, review laws and policies affecting women, and make recommendations to state institutions. Importantly, the intention of the law is to create an institution capable of acting independently in safeguarding women’s rights.
However, women on the ground continue to experience a gap between legal promises and lived realities. Without adequate resources, regional accessibility, and operational independence, the Commission cannot effectively respond to women who need protection and justice the most — particularly women in districts such as Batticaloa, where distance, poverty, and social pressures already create barriers.
As women from Batticaloa therefore, we call for The Commission to:
• Operate autonomously, making decisions based on women’s rights and justice rather than political or ministerial influence.
• To have sufficient staff, funding, and offices in all regions to respond promptly to women’s complaints and needs.
The Women’s Coalition for Disaster Management (WCDM) an eastern based women’s network, together with the people of Batticaloa, is sending a petition to the President of Sri Lanka on this International Women’s Day March 8, 2026. The petition is endorsed by 1844 persons from Batticaloa. In solidarity with women across Sri Lanka we strongly urge that the National Women’s Commission be established and strengthened as an independent body that genuinely safeguards women’s dignity, equality, and justice.”
