After Gotabaya, the Deluge?
“Slip slidin’ away, Slip slidin’ away…” Paul Simon No astrologer in Sri Lanka reached such dizzy heights as Sumanadasa Abeygunawardane. He predicted for the Rajapaksas the future they wanted and was rewarded with power…
Sri Lanka
Taking Stock for the New Year
Photo courtesy A tumultuous year has ended, and an uncertain future lies ahead. Democratic space is already closing around us, and it is critical for civil society to be clear-eyed about where…
Implications of the populist frenzy of the Presidential Election
Photo courtesy In the aftermath of the 2019 Presidential Elections which concluded another era of the Sri Lankan political journey, it is necessary to delve into the fragility of the Sri Lankan…
30 Years, and Still Waiting
Rain has turned the red earth roads of Kiula, Hungama in the Southern Province to mud and the skies are overcast. In the verandah of a bright pink house, five women –…
Enter Homo Extremum?
Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s maiden speech as the SLPP’s Presidential candidate was a masterpiece in banality. It didn’t contain a single memorable sentence or one inspiring idea. That absence was no accident. The speech…
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.…
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…
Is Bribery A Fact of Life in Sri Lanka?
Is bribery a fact of life in Sri Lanka? The following video captures perceptions on bribery and corruption across five cities, and in English, Sinhala and Tamil. The issue of corruption has…
On Facebook’s New Misinformation Policy for Sri Lanka
20 July 2018 Colombo, Sri Lanka Recent news reports have surfaced noting that Facebook will be proactively taking steps to remove misinformation that could lead to people being physically harmed. Though long…
Women’s Groups and Activists Express Concern in Kathua Rape Case
25th April 2018 H.E. Taranjit Singh Sandhu High Commissioner High Commission of India Colombo 3. Your Excellency, The Rape and Murder of an eight-year-old in Kathua: Women’s Groups and Activists Express Concern…
A Double Bind: Reflecting On Women’s Lived Realities on Independence Day
As Sri Lanka marks 70 years since Independence, yet again gearing up for an overt display of pageantry that stands as an annual reminder of our own militarised past and present, we…
Namal Rajapaksa, bots and trolls: New contours of digital propaganda and online discourse in Sri Lanka
Image courtesy , by Quartz Late 2017, the Twitter account of has generated all manner of violent, venomous pushback and responses to content it has produced, published and promoted. Over the years,…
Technology-related Violence Against Women and Girls in Sri Lanka: Key Trends
There is little research done on technology-based violence against women in Sri Lanka. In addition, there are no trilingual, easily accessible, open-source resources for digital security, key because many leaks occur due…