Are socio-economic rights, rights?
Through the ping of a tweet and a quick scan of the media, I’ve been alerted to a polarising constitutional debate in Sri Lanka. The debate is on whether justiciable socio-economic rights…
Search Results for: socio-economic rights
Socio-economic rights in a Constitution: Should we trust courts over democracy?
Image courtesy Al Jazeera Prof Pratap Bhanu Mehta, an eminent Indian Political scientist shared his insights into incorporating socio-economic rights in the new constitution in Sri Lanka recently. Speaking at a public…
Building An Ethos of Rights
December 10 is Human Rights Day, and marks 70 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. Since inception, has dedicated itself to discussion on issues pertaining to human rights.…
A FRESH BILL OF RIGHTS: FOREVER A FARCE?
In 2009 , the then Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights (hence disbanded) ‘sought to remedy’ the many deficiencies that exist in the current fundamental rights chapter of the 1978 constitution.…
Sri Lanka and the UNHRC: Implications for India and for Human Rights
Image courtesy India Ink blog by New York Times/Rajanish Kakade, Associated Press As the 19th session of the Human Rights Council progresses, the discourse on Sri Lanka with reference to Human Rights…
National Reconciliation, Transitional Justice, Rights and Accountability in Sri Lanka
Good Afternoon; Esteemed and Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; Dear friends Thank you for inviting me to share with you my thoughts on reconciliation. I will not devote much time here, to…
The farcical ‘National Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights’ in Sri Lanka
Exactly a year ago today, a week before the Royal-Thomian, the journalist J.S. Tissainayagam went into the TID to enquire after his friends who had been taken in for questioning the previous…
Facing the Ongoing Trauma of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
Almost every conflict around the world from Bosnia to Syria, Myanmar, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka, involves Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV). It refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion,…
Abortion: A Reply
In an article a few weeks ago, I argued that an embryo is a person with dignity and rights, and that this must change how we see both abortion pregnancy. There were…
Difficult Issues, Strategic Choices: Crafting a Coherent Sri Lankan Transitional Justice Process
It is one of the greatest honors of my professional life to be asked to deliver this lecture in honor of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam. Neelan embodied all of the virtues of what…
Good women and bad women of the post-war nation
Photo by Anushka Wijesinha, 2011, via IPS Since the end of war in May 2009, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has sought to forge a new overarching Sri Lanka identity…
Archiving ‘Her Stories’: In conversation with Radhika Hettiarachchi
Her Stories, a unique archive of oral history, was conceived of and curated by Radhika Hettiarachchi. We begin by Radhika going in to what the archive is, and how it came about.…
Theory and Practice of Democracy in Sri Lanka
This is one of the subjects that has in recent years put me in constant confusion. To situate my confused status in its context, let me begin with a personal note. In…
Adding Fuel to the Fire: The Dramatic Rise in Domestic Violence During COVID-19
A global rise in the cases of domestic violence (DV) has been observed during the COVID-19 pandemic and sustained periods of lockdown owing to the pandemic. Several factors including tension created by…
Ensuring Access to Education in Difficult Circumstances
Today is International Day to Protect Education from Attack The United Nations General Assembly by Resolution 74/275 established the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, which falls annually on 9 September.…
