Traces of War on Their Bodies
These are the stories of people whose daily struggles come from witnessing and being trapped in the middle of a war that lasted three decades, who think that it would have been…
Year: 2019
The dog in the manger: The struggle to reform the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act
An old Greek fable goes something like this: A dog lying in a manger who did not eat grain, nevertheless prevented the horse who approached the manger from being able to eat…
ACJU Hijacks MMDA Reform
For three long decades, Muslim women have fought to reform the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA). Justice Saleem Marsoof’s Committee issued two sets of recommendations early last year, the culmination of…
The Naked Saviours
Mythic Inflation is a concept introduced by American mythologist Joseph Campbell to explain the emergence of a new kind of ruler, the secular king who is also the divinely mandated saviour of…
A Violent Past, An Uneasy Present
The true stories of the violence on July 1983 are not captured in newspaper headlines. 36 years ago, Page One of the Daily Mirror read, “Anti-Govt forces behind rioting and looting.” A…
Looking East
Batticaloa and Kattankudy are 318 and 317 kilometers away from Colombo, respectively. They are, however, just under 10 kilometers away from each other. The relationships and experience, that have been shaped by…
Counterterrorism and the Rule of Law
Whenever the topic of counterterrorism is raised my mind goes back to the 2012 film ‘The Gatekeepers’, directed by Israeli filmmaker Dror Moheh. The documentary was shortlisted for an academic award. The…
Long Overdue: Breaking down the minimum age of marriage in Sri Lanka
One of the most contested issues in the debate around reform of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) has been with regard to increasing the minimum age of marriage for Muslims….
EleFriendly Bus Endangered after Easter Sunday Attacks
Several months on, the effect of the Easter Sunday attacks on April 21, 2019 is being felt even in remote areas like Wasgamuwa, affecting both children and elephants. As an indirect result…
INFOGRAPHIC: What Can Rs. 17 Billion Buy?
The Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the operations of Sri Lankan and Mihin airlines has revealed corruption, malpractice and political interference. Pulling no punches, the Commission in its final report made a…
Justice Denied for Trinco 5
The ‘Trinco 5 case’, involving the murder of 5 students on a beach in Trincomalee on 2 January 2006, is an emblematic case of impunity in Sri Lanka. The case became well-known…
Beyond Borders: Statelessness and the People in Between
The United Nations Charter begins “We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war…..” Yet, the structure and decision making of the United Nations…
Death Penalty: License for Judicial Killings
Last year, on October 2, Iran executed a 24-year-old woman, Zeinab Sekaanvand, who was a child at the time of her alleged offense. Under international law, she should have been excluded from…
Pride Under Emergency
This June marks the first Pride month in Sri Lanka under a State of Emergency since 2011, when it was last in place. For Sri Lanka’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex…
Opinions, B*tch: Technology Based Violence Against Women in Sri Lanka
Although there is growing awareness of the impact on technology-based violence globally, there is little research on the different ways it can manifest. This report looks at how women are discussed on…
