Bitter Sugar, Poisoned Oil
The recent scandals involving sugar and coconut oil should point the country to the dangers of private sector mafias and rent seekers. These are not your typical consumer goods: they are fast…
Economy
Drowning in Debt, Women Farmers Take a Firm Stand
Trapped between unscrupulous microfinance companies and duplicitous governments, Sri Lanka’s rural women farmers are drowning in debt. Over 200 have committed suicide, some with their young children; families have been wrecked and…
Rural Women Demand Relief from the Vicious Cycle of Debt
Saumya is a mother of two from Polonnaruwa who has taken a loan of Rs. 200,000 from a well-established microfinance company in the region to start a small apparel business to make…
When Crying in the Wilderness is Just Not Enough
“Knowledge is power: You hear it all the time but knowledge is not power. It’s only potential power. It only becomes power when we apply it and use it.” Jim Kwik These are…
COVID-19, Ethical Trade and Women Apparel Workers
It is one year since Sri Lanka went into lockdown. At a recent press briefing by women members of Sri Lanka Chamber of Garment Exporters, a member of the Joint Apparel Association…
Positioning Sri Lanka as South Asia’s Dubai After COVID-19
Using the policy tool of a dedicated special economic zone for services, the Colombo Port City in Sri Lanka aspires to become an international financial centre after the pandemic in a bid…
Alternative Models to Improve Lives of Estate Workers
The estate sector, a high foreign exchange earner for the country, is undergoing a severe crisis. On one hand, estate workers are underpaid and forced to live in cramped and unhygienic conditions,…
The Health Cost of Period Poverty
Inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and education, or otherwise known as period poverty, is not a phenomenon that only affects the developing world but is an issue that women and girls…
Pandemic Exposes Exploitation of Vulnerable Apparel Workers
With the identification of COVID-19 infected persons associated with the Brandix Factory in Munuwangoda as the second wave of COVID 19, the apparel industry has gained significant attention within the discussions on…
When Authoritarianism Causes a Crisis of Governance
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, drew the attention of the world to the situation in Sri Lanka on 14 September, 2020 stating, “I encourage the Council to…
Disproportionate Effects of Covid-19 on Sri Lankan Women
Sri Lanka has not been immune to the ravaging effects of the novel coronavirus, which emerged late last year and has affected millions worldwide. For the many struggling to cope with changes…
COVID 19 and Sri Lanka
When globalisation was the dominant concept for looking at the world, pandemics were discussed as a global security issue. The objective was to see how pandemics have an impact on global security,…
PODCAST: Conversation with Anushka Wijesinha on economic, the pandemic & life under lock-down in Sri Lanka
In an on-going series of podcasts with individuals in Sri Lanka, I caught up with economist Anushka Wijesinha to talk about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Sri Lanka as well…
A week that will shake Sri Lanka’s future
Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe via PRI Who is winning? This seems to be the question many people these days are keen to find an answer to. Whenever this question is put to…
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…
