A Story of Healing, Resilience and Reconciliation
When the Easter Sunday bomb attacks brought tears to the world I, too, cried in Toronto for myself saying, “I am not safe here”. The images of Easter bombings brought memories of…
Human Rights
Address Unknown: The Plight of the Malaiyaga Thamilar Community
The irony is not lost on the Malaiyaga Thamilar community. A stamp was issued in commemoration of former minister and leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress, the late Arumugan Thondaman, but most…
Child Marriage: Breaking the Chains of Tradition
Child marriage, defined as any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of 18 and an adult or another child, continues to be a significant issue across South…
Pride Month Gives a Voice to the LGBTQ+ Community
The act of resistance gave rise to Pride. However, repression continues to be a reality wherever Pride is held. Even in places where legal equality has been accomplished and visibility is celebrated,…
A Torture Victim’s Story
I have been a torture victim not for hours or days or months but for years. It started in May 1989, worsened by the end of the year and was slightly better…
Upholding Human Rights: Empowering Torture Survivors and Demanding Global Action
In my extensive work with torture victims, particularly within the Tamil community, I have witnessed first hand the unspeakable suffering endured by these individuals and the urgent need for comprehensive support and…
Torture: A Prevailing Uncivilized System in Sri Lanka
“The term ‘torture’ means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third…
Unearthing the Truth about Sri Lanka’s Mass Graves
Sri Lanka’s bloody and brutal 26 year war, which ended 14 years ago, has left many questions unanswered; one of the most important is where are the many thousands of the missing?…
Looking from The Other Side
The Other Side is a documentary series that is focused on sharing the perspectives of three women belonging to the families of some of the alleged perpetrators of the Easter Sunday attacks…
Sit Down and Shut Up or You Will Be Next: The Threat to Human Rights Defenders
The days of white vans and enforced disappearances may be on the wane but President Ranil Wickremesinghe and his regime have embarked on a just as insidious method to suppress people’s freedom…
Debt Crisis, Corporate Culpability and the Apparel Sector: Labour Reforms in Perspective
industriall-union My exchange with friend and colleague Ben Selwyn came out of sharing union statements on illicit transfer of capital out of Sri Lanka’s corporate world. These numerous statements have a bearing…
Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Failings Under UN Spotlight
As the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) prepares to gather from June 19 to July 14, the situation in Sri Lanka is once more on the agenda. An oral update from…
Kurundi: A Runway to ’56?
In his fifth labour, Heracles cleans the Augean Stables by rerouting the rivers Alpheus and Peneus through the filthy abode of King Augeas’ divine cattle. Many believed that the aragalaya would have…
Innovative Social Protection Measures Vital for Children to Recover from Economic Crisis
It should be universally acknowledged that the socioeconomic impact of the multiple crises which have been unfolding in Sri Lanka since the COVID-19 pandemic has invalidated all human development indicators measured since…
Combatting the Scourge of Human Trafficking
COVID-19 and the severe economic crisis has resulted in an increase in human smuggling, illegal migration and forced labour in Sri Lanka. People are heavily in debt after taking loans to tide…
