By: Isuru Parakrama
January 18, Colombo (LNW): A prominent women’s rights organisation in Sri Lanka has denounced a wave of sexist and sexually charged attacks aimed at Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, warning that such conduct amounts to political violence rather than legitimate dissent.
In a sharply worded statement, the Women and Media Collective (WMC) said the abuse escalated after a minor error involving the incorrect printing of a website address in a Grade 6 English textbook spiralled into a public controversy.
What followed was not reasoned criticism of governance but a concerted effort to demean the Prime Minister through misogynistic language and personal smears, the collective argued.
The WMC noted that women politicians are routinely subjected to scrutiny and hostility that their men counterparts rarely face, describing this as a reflection of deeply rooted gender prejudice in political culture. It also pointed to the failure of regulatory mechanisms to curb inflammatory rhetoric by certain political figures and sections of the media, allowing harmful narratives to circulate freely.
Sexualised insults and personal vilification have no place in a democratic society, they asserted, adding that holding women leaders to different standards corrodes public discourse and weakens democratic norms.
Endorsed by nearly 200 individuals and several dozen civil society organisations, the declaration urged the state to take concrete steps to ensure accountability and to create a safer environment for women in public life. The Collective pointed out that gender-based political abuse erodes equality, the rule of law and democratic participation, and reminded authorities of Sri Lanka’s international commitments under conventions such as CEDAW and the ICCPR.
Calling for decisive action, the Collective appealed to the government to prevent, investigate and prosecute all forms of political violence against women, whether carried out online or in person, and to actively support women’s leadership at every level.
