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Sri Lanka the Sri Lanka Country Gender Assessment Updates Information Contained in the 2004 Country Gender Assessment Published by ADB

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Sri Lanka the Sri Lanka Country Gender Assessment Updates Information Contained in the 2004 Country Gender Assessment Published by ADB Country Gender Assessment: Sri Lanka The Sri Lanka Country Gender Assessment updates information contained in the 2004 Country Gender Assessment published by ADB. It comprises four chapters that examine the gender gaps in various sectors of society in Sri Lanka and how ADB’s gender strategy supports state and non-state institutions and agencies in responding to national policies that promote economic growth, reduce poverty, and assist reconstruction in areas affected by the armed conflict and the 2004 tsunami. Chapter 1 focuses on several factors that contribute to the current status of women in Sri Lanka. Chapter 2 explores government policies and programs promoting gender equality as well as the support and commitment of the international community. Chapter 3 clarifies gender issues relevant to ADB operations identified in some ADB-funded projects. Chapter 4 outlines gender-related strategies or interventions in different sectors to promote gender mainstreaming in development programs which will contribute to the empowerment of women in Sri Lanka. About the Asian Development Bank ADB's vision is an Asia and Pacific region free of poverty. Its mission is to help its developing member countries substantially reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their people. Despite the region's many successes, it remains home to two thirds of the world's poor. Six hundred million people in the region live on $1 a day or less. ADB is committed to reducing poverty through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Country Gender Assessment: Based in Manila, ADB is owned by 67 members, including 48 from the region. Its main instruments for helping its developing member countries are policy dialogue, loans, equity investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance. In 2007, it approved $10.1 billion of loans, $673 million of grant projects, and technical assistance amounting to $243 million. Sri Lanka Country Gender Assessment Sri Lanka Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines www.adb.org Publication Stock No. BBK226908 ISBN 978-971-561-749-9 Printed in the Philippines The cover Uru Warige Nilmini Priyanthi and her son, in Henanigala village, Amparai district. The community’s inland fisheries have benefited from the Aquatic Resources Development and Quality Improvement Project, which began in 2006. Photograph by Nelun Gunasekera Country Gender Assessment SRI LANKA © 2008 Asian Development Bank All rights reserved. Published 2008. Printed in the Philippines. ISBN 978-971-561-749-9 Publication Stock No. BBK226908 Cataloging-In-Publication Data Asian Development Bank. Country gender assessment: Sri Lanka. Mandaluyong City, Phil.: Asian Development Bank, 2008. 1. Women in development. 2. Gender roles. I. Asian Development Bank. The views expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. Use of the term “country” does not imply any judgment by the authors or ADB as to the legal or other status of any territorial entity. ii ADB encourages printing or copying information exclusively for personal and noncommercial use with proper acknowledgment of ADB. Users are restricted from reselling, redistributing, or creating derivative works for commercial purposes without the express, written consent of ADB. 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines Tel: +63 2 632 4444 Fax: +63 2 636 2444 www.adb.org For orders, please contact: Department of External Relations Fax: +63 2 636 2648 [email protected] Acknowledgments This report was prepared by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to provide an overview and up- date of gender issues in Sri Lanka and to help ADB in identifying how gender dimensions can be incorporated into development assistance planning. The document was prepared by a consultant, Prof. Swarna Jayaweera, in close collaboration with Nelun Gunasekera, gender and development specialist at ADB’s Sri Lanka Resident Mission. Richard Vokes (country director, ADB Sri Lanka Resident Mission) and Francesco Tornieri (social development specialist, Regional and Sustainable Development Department) provided overall guidance to the report team throughout the process. Briony Eales edited the report. Aldrin Roco provided production assistance. ADB extends its thanks to the government officials and other stakeholders—including civil society and nongovernment organizations (NGOs)—who generously shared their time and insights and provided valuable comments and advice in preparing the report. The report will hopefully be useful to the government, NGOs, and individuals working in the field of gender and development. iii Abbreviations ADB — Asian Development Bank CBO — community-based organization CEDAW — Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (United Nations) GCE/AL — General Certificate of Education/Advanced Level GCE/OL — General Certificate of Education/Ordinary Level GDP — gross domestic product HIES — Household Income and Expenditure Survey ICT — information and communication technology ILO — International Labour Organization IT — information technology LTTE — Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam MCDWE — Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Empowerment MDG — Millennium Development Goal NECORD — North East Community Restoration and Development Project NGO — nongovernment organization SMEs — small and medium-sized enterprises UN — United Nations UNDP — United Nations Development Programme UNICEF — United Nations Children’s Fund iv CURRENCY EQUIVALENT (as of 29 September 2008) Local Currency — Sri Lanka rupee 1.00 = $0.009 $1.00 = SLRs109.95 NOTE In this reports, “$” refers to US dollars. Table of Contents Executive Summary vii Chapter 1. Women in Sri Lanka 1 Development Context 1 Demographic Background 1 Women’s Rights 1 Criminal Law 3 Family Law 4 Land Rights 4 Social Security 5 Labor Legislation 5 Migrant Workers 6 Trafficking 6 Political Participation 6 Health and Nutritional Status 7 Education and Training 9 Provision of General Education 10 Participation, Retention, and Performance in Education 10 Tertiary Education 13 Technical and Vocational Education 13 Literacy 16 v Nonformal and Adult Education 16 Education and Socialization 17 Information and Communication Technology 17 Economic Activities 18 Poverty 26 Environment 30 Gender-Based Violence 31 Armed Conflict, Peace, and Reconciliation 32 Impact of the Tsunami 35 Sociocultural Constraints 37 Chapter 2. Policies and Programs 39 National Policies and Programs 39 International Commitments 40 Education for All 41 Women’s Affairs in Government Planning 41 Gender Peace Committee 42 Nongovernment Organizations 42 Donor Agencies 43 Chapter 3. Gender Issues Relevant to ADB Operations 45 Gender Issues in Sri Lanka’s Development Context 45 ADB Operational Strategy in Sri Lanka 46 Gender Issues in ADB Programs 46 Agriculture and Rural Development 46 Plantation Development 47 Small and Medium Enterprises Project 47 Infrastructure Development 49 Conflict-Affected Areas 50 Gender Mainstreaming 51 Chapter 4. Gender Strategies 53 Gender Interventions (2006–2010) 56 References 63 Table of Contents Table vi Executive Summary Sri Lankan women are better situated than women in many other economically developing coun- tries, but they have yet to achieve gender equality or empowerment according to international norms. The confluence of positive social policies, slow economic growth, and consequent persistent poverty among segments of the population, armed conflict and gendered social norms, have con- tributed to uneven development that affects women’s quality of life. The demographic scene has changed over the years, resulting in a sex ratio in favor of women of 97.9 at the last Census in 2001, a decline in the percentage of the population below 18 years to 32.9%, and an increase in the population over 60 years from 6% to 13% in different districts. The minimum age of marriage is 18 years (except in the Muslim community) and the average age has been 25 years in recent decades. Even before the constitutional provision (1978) of equal rights without discrimination on the grounds of sex and the ratification of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1981, universal franchise, equal rights to contest elections in 1931, and equal access to free education and health services in the 1940s had already contributed to gender equality in some spheres of life. Women have equal rights in the Gen- eral Law, but the Family Law of each community contains discriminatory provisions in varying de- grees concerning marriage, divorce, property, and financial transactions. Women are denied equal rights to land in state-assisted settlements. Labor legislation conforms to international practice but enforcement is relatively weak, and informal sector workers, many of whom are women, do not benefit from labor laws. The amendments to the Penal Code in 1995 and 1998 and the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act 2005 have strengthened legislation, but problems still remain. vii Despite universal voting rights since 1931 and the presence of elected women leaders since 1960, the percentage of women in Parliament is about 4% and about 2% in local
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