Sri Lanka | Country Page | World

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <script>window['sa_metadata'] = {"title":"Sri Lanka","langcode":"en","taxonomy_term_id":"9572","entity_type":"taxonomy_term","taxonomy_term_type":"region_country"};</script> <script async defer src="/libraries/custom/simpleanalytics.js"></script> <script src="/modules/custom/hrw_consent/js/hrwconsent.js?v=1.7"></script> <script> HrwConsent = new HrwConsent; HrwConsentSettings.domain = 'hrw.org'; HrwConsentSettings.expires = 365; </script> <script>var _mtm = window._mtm = window._mtm || [];_mtm.push({"mtm.startTime": (new Date().getTime()), "event": "mtm.Start"});var d = document, g = d.createElement("script"), s = d.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];g.type = "text/javascript";g.async = true;g.src="https://open-analytics.hrw.org/js/container_MOFt5fSb.js";s.parentNode.insertBefore(g, s);</script> <meta name="description" content="Human rights in Sri Lanka remain at serious risk in the face of security force abuses committed with impunity and an economic crisis that reduced the living standards of millions. To silence dissent, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s administration has introduced sweeping powers of censorship and proposed laws to constrain civic space. The police have suppressed protests against inequity, corruption, and lack of accountability for past abuses. The government is blocking justice for atrocities linked to the 26-year armed conflict that ended in 2009, while victims of abuses and activists are subjected to surveillance and intimidation. In 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Council renewed and strengthened a mandate for the UN to collect evidence of gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law for future prosecutions." /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/sri-lanka" /> <meta name="google" content="H_DzcJuJMJKVAO6atlPsK4HHr2WienspT6e74P5fVFY" /> <meta name="Generator" content="Drupal 10 (https://www.drupal.org)" /> <meta name="MobileOptimized" content="width" /> <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /> <script type="application/ld+json">{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.hrw.org/asia/sri-lanka", "speakable": { "@type": "SpeakableSpecification", "xpath": [ "/html/head/title", "/html/head/meta[@name=\u0027description\u0027]" ] } } ] }</script> <link rel="icon" href="/sites/default/files/favicon.ico" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" /> <script 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data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree" id="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9450"> <button type="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9451" aria-label="Click to expand Americas" data-label-expand="Click to expand Americas" data-label-close="Click to close Americas" data-component-id="hrw_components:button" class="hrw-button mobile_menu_item__button" > Americas <svg width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <path d="M12 16.4501L4 10.2508L6.31511 7.5498L12 11.8713L17.6334 7.5498L20 10.2508L12 16.4501Z" fill="#0071CE"/> </svg> </button> <div class="mobile_menu_submenu" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree" id="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9451"> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas">All Americas</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/argentina">Argentina</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/bolivia">Bolivia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/brazil">Brazil</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/canada">Canada</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/chile">Chile</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/colombia">Colombia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/costa-rica">Costa Rica</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/cuba">Cuba</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/dominican-republic">Dominican Republic</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/ecuador">Ecuador</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/el-salvador">El Salvador</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/guatemala">Guatemala</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/haiti">Haiti</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/honduras">Honduras</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/jamaica">Jamaica</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/mexico">Mexico</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/nicaragua">Nicaragua</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/panama">Panama</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/paraguay">Paraguay</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/peru">Peru</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/uruguay">Uruguay</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/americas/venezuela">Venezuela</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree" id="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9451"> <button type="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9452" aria-label="Click to expand Asia" data-label-expand="Click to expand Asia" data-label-close="Click to close Asia" data-component-id="hrw_components:button" class="hrw-button mobile_menu_item__button" > Asia <svg width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <path d="M12 16.4501L4 10.2508L6.31511 7.5498L12 11.8713L17.6334 7.5498L20 10.2508L12 16.4501Z" fill="#0071CE"/> </svg> </button> <div class="mobile_menu_submenu" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree" id="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9452"> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia">All Asia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/afghanistan">Afghanistan</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/australia">Australia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/bangladesh">Bangladesh</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/bhutan">Bhutan</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/brunei">Brunei</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/cambodia">Cambodia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/china-and-tibet">China and Tibet</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/fiji">Fiji</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/india">India</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/indonesia">Indonesia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/japan">Japan</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/laos">Laos</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/malaysia">Malaysia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/maldives">Maldives</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/myanmar-burma">Myanmar (Burma)</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/nauru">Nauru</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/nepal">Nepal</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/north-korea">North Korea</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/pakistan">Pakistan</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/papua-new-guinea">Papua New Guinea</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/philippines">Philippines</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/singapore">Singapore</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/south-korea">South Korea</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/sri-lanka">Sri Lanka</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/taiwan">Taiwan</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/thailand">Thailand</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/timor-leste">Timor-Leste</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/asia/vietnam">Vietnam</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree" id="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9452"> <button type="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9453" aria-label="Click to expand Europe/Central Asia" data-label-expand="Click to expand Europe/Central Asia" data-label-close="Click to close Europe/Central Asia" data-component-id="hrw_components:button" class="hrw-button mobile_menu_item__button" > Europe/Central Asia <svg width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <path d="M12 16.4501L4 10.2508L6.31511 7.5498L12 11.8713L17.6334 7.5498L20 10.2508L12 16.4501Z" fill="#0071CE"/> </svg> </button> <div class="mobile_menu_submenu" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree" id="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9453"> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia">All Europe/Central Asia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/albania">Albania</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/armenia">Armenia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/azerbaijan">Azerbaijan</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/belarus">Belarus</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/belgium">Belgium</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/bosnia-and-herzegovina">Bosnia and Herzegovina</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/bulgaria">Bulgaria</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/croatia">Croatia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/czech-republic">Czech Republic</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/denmark">Denmark</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/european-union">European Union</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/france">France</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/georgia">Georgia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/germany">Germany</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/greece">Greece</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/holy-see">Holy See</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/hungary">Hungary</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/ireland">Ireland</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/italy">Italy</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/kazakhstan">Kazakhstan</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/kyrgyzstan">Kyrgyzstan</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/latvia">Latvia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/lithuania">Lithuania</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europa-und-zentralasien/netherlands">Netherlands</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/norway">Norway</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/poland">Poland</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/portugal">Portugal</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/romania">Romania</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/russia">Russia</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/serbia/kosovo">Serbia/Kosovo</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/spain">Spain</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/sweden">Sweden</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/switzerland">Switzerland</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/tajikistan">Tajikistan</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/turkey">Türkiye</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/turkmenistan">Turkmenistan</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/ukraine">Ukraine</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/united-kingdom">United Kingdom</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/europe/central-asia/uzbekistan">Uzbekistan</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree" id="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9453"> <button type="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9455" aria-label="Click to expand Middle East/North Africa" data-label-expand="Click to expand Middle East/North Africa" data-label-close="Click to close Middle East/North Africa" data-component-id="hrw_components:button" class="hrw-button mobile_menu_item__button" > Middle East/North Africa <svg width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <path d="M12 16.4501L4 10.2508L6.31511 7.5498L12 11.8713L17.6334 7.5498L20 10.2508L12 16.4501Z" fill="#0071CE"/> </svg> </button> <div class="mobile_menu_submenu" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree" id="taxonomy_menu.menu_link:taxonomy_menu.menu_link.region.9455"> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/middle-east/north-africa">All Middle East/North Africa</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/middle-east/north-africa/algeria">Algeria</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/middle-east/north-africa/bahrain">Bahrain</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" data-component-id="hrw_components:mobile_menu_tree"> <a href="/middle-east/n-africa/egypt">Egypt</a> </div> <div class="mobile_menu_item" 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class="nav-dropdown__sub-item"> <a href="/asia/singapore">Singapore</a> </li> <li class="nav-dropdown__sub-item"> <a href="/asia/south-korea">South Korea</a> </li> <li class="nav-dropdown__sub-item"> <a href="/asia/sri-lanka">Sri Lanka</a> </li> <li class="nav-dropdown__sub-item"> <a href="/asia/taiwan">Taiwan</a> </li> <li class="nav-dropdown__sub-item"> <a href="/asia/thailand">Thailand</a> </li> <li class="nav-dropdown__sub-item"> <a href="/asia/timor-leste">Timor-Leste</a> </li> <li class="nav-dropdown__sub-item"> <a href="/asia/vietnam">Vietnam</a> </li> </ul> </div> </nav> <h1>Sri Lanka</h1> </div> <div class="flex flex:sm flex:md flex:lg"> <div class="sm:w-full md:w-full lg:w-3/5 py-16 px-16 bg-blue-700 text-white"> <div class="billboard-country__summary rich-text"> <div data-field="description"><p>Human rights in Sri Lanka remain at serious risk in the face of security force abuses committed with impunity and an economic crisis that reduced the living standards of millions. To silence dissent, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s administration has introduced sweeping powers of censorship and proposed laws to constrain civic space. The police have suppressed protests against inequity, corruption, and lack of accountability for past abuses. The government is blocking justice for atrocities linked to the 26-year armed conflict that ended in 2009, while victims of abuses and activists are subjected to surveillance and intimidation. In 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Council renewed and strengthened a mandate for the UN to collect evidence of gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law for future prosecutions.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="billboard-country__image lg:w-2/5 flex mx-auto md:flex-row bg-gray-200"> <div class="lg:block h-full w-full flex justify-center items-start md:items-stretch"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/country/public/media_2020/05/hrw_Sri_Lanka_0_worldserve-map_0_800x600.jpg?h=827069f2&itok=4qYoo3YA" alt="map of Sri Lanka " loading="lazy" class="billboard-country__image-inner md:object-cover" width="800" height="600" /> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mb-16"> <div class="content-cards-block"> <div class="container-large max-w-lg mx-auto "> <div class="container-full max-w-full bg-gray-900"> <div class="container-small mx-auto px-6 lg:px-8 x2l:px-4"> <ul class="grid-3-up-content py-6 max-w-sm mx-auto flex flex-wrap justify-between"> <li class="grid-item"> <div class="card flex-col"> <span class="card__location font-sans uppercase text-xs mb-3">Asia</span> <figure class="card__image relative overflow-hidden mb-6 aspect-w-16 aspect-h-9"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_large/public/media_2024/11/202411asia_sri%20lanka_Anura%20Kumara%20Dissanayake_and_Harini%20Amarasuriya.jpg?h=25c16bb1&itok=zx3dsfIo" alt="Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (right) and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya during the swearing-in of the new cabinet members on November 18, 2024, in Colombo, Sri Lanka." loading="lazy" class="card__image unloaded w-auto" width="400" height="225" /> <a href="/news/2024/11/25/sri-lanka-new-president-should-reset-course-rights" class="card__image-link hrw-fill" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> </figure> <div class="card__content"> <div class="card__dateline flex flex-row items-baseline"> <p class="card__dateline-date flex font-sans text-xs">November 25, 2024</p> <span class="card__dateline-type pl-1 font-serif text-sm separator-bar">News Release</span> </div> <a href="/news/2024/11/25/sri-lanka-new-president-should-reset-course-rights" class="card__title text-lg font-medium leading-none hover:underline font-sans text-blue-700 hover:text-blue-800 "><span>Sri Lanka: New President Should Reset Course on Rights</span> </a> </div> </div> </li> <li class="grid-item"> <div class="card flex-col"> <span class="card__location font-sans uppercase text-xs mb-3">World Bank, IMF</span> <figure class="card__image relative overflow-hidden mb-6 aspect-w-16 aspect-h-9"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_large/public/media_2024/10/202410ame_argentina_retiree_protest.jpg?h=caf26d13&itok=Me_BN0kJ" alt="Tens of thousands of retirees, unions and organizations mobilize in front of Argentina’s National Congress to protest President’s Javier Milei's veto of the Pension Mobility Law, Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 11, 2024. " loading="lazy" class="card__image unloaded w-auto" width="400" height="225" /> <a href="/news/2024/10/17/world-bank-imf-are-missing-mark-social-security" class="card__image-link hrw-fill" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> </figure> <div class="card__content"> <div class="card__dateline flex flex-row items-baseline"> <p class="card__dateline-date flex font-sans text-xs">October 17, 2024</p> <span class="card__dateline-type pl-1 font-serif text-sm separator-bar">Dispatches</span> </div> <a href="/news/2024/10/17/world-bank-imf-are-missing-mark-social-security" class="card__title text-lg font-medium leading-none hover:underline font-sans text-blue-700 hover:text-blue-800 "><span>World Bank, IMF are Missing the Mark on Social Security </span> </a> <div class="byline__container mt-3 flex flex-wrap text-gray-800 flex-col"> <div class="byline__content flex flex-row ml-1 mr-0 mb-1 mt-4"> <div class="byline__img flex h-16 w-16 min-w-16 mr-4 ml-0"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/square_bw/public/multimedia_images_2020/202003bhr_staffprofile_simetl2.jpg?itok=uQYZERSb" alt="" loading="lazy" class="unloaded" width="108" height="108" /> </div> <div class="byline__info flex-col pr-16 pl-0"> <div class="byline__name flex"> <a class="text-lg font-semibold leading-snug hover:underline focus:underline leading-none" href="/about/people/lena-simet">Lena Simet</a> </div> <div class="byline__position text-sm pt-1 leading-tight">Senior Researcher and Advocate, Poverty and Inequality</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> <li class="grid-item"> <div class="card flex-col"> <span class="card__location font-sans uppercase text-xs mb-3">Human Rights Council</span> <figure class="card__image relative overflow-hidden mb-6 aspect-w-16 aspect-h-9"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_large/public/media_2024/04/202404un_switzerland_human_rights_council.jpg?h=87702c52&itok=Ed-Fy7NT" alt="UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, February 26, 2024. " loading="lazy" class="card__image unloaded w-auto" width="400" height="225" /> <a href="/news/2024/10/02/sri-lanka-un-rights-council-should-extend-crucial-mandate" class="card__image-link hrw-fill" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> </figure> <div class="card__content"> <div class="card__dateline flex flex-row items-baseline"> <p class="card__dateline-date flex font-sans text-xs">October 2, 2024</p> <span class="card__dateline-type pl-1 font-serif text-sm separator-bar">News Release</span> </div> <a href="/news/2024/10/02/sri-lanka-un-rights-council-should-extend-crucial-mandate" class="card__title text-lg font-medium leading-none hover:underline font-sans text-blue-700 hover:text-blue-800 "><span>Sri Lanka: UN Rights Council Should Extend Crucial Mandate</span> </a> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container-large max-w-lg mx-auto px-6 sm:px-8 md:pr-14 md:pl-24 x2l:px-0 x2l:mx-32 x3l:mx-auto"> <div class="grid-2-1-content x2l:flex lg:flex mx-auto justify-between "> <div class="grid-2 w-full flex-col lg:flex lg:w-3/5 lg:px-0 "> <div > <div class="mb-16 mt-12"> <div class="video-playlist"> <div class="block-header flex justify-between items-baseline pb-3 border-b border-gray-200 "> <h2 class="block-header__title font-sans media-list__title text-3xl font-bold leading-tight text-gray-800"> Videos </h2> <a href="/video-photos" class="text-blue-700 hover:text-blue-800 focus:text-blue-800 uppercase svg-right-5 text-sm link-icon font-sans font-medium" title=""> <span class="link-icon__text "> Watch more </span> <span class="sr-only"> Videos </span> <div class="icon fill-current w-2 inline-block"> <svg viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="currentColor" role="img" focusable="false" aria-hidden="true" > <use xlink:href="/themes/custom/hrw_design/dist/app-drupal/assets/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=240611#sprite-chevron-right"></use> </svg> </div> </a> </div> <div class="tabs-vertical" data-tabs-vertical-id="1620580853"> <div class="tabs-vertical__main"> <div class="tabs-vertical__main-item hidden" id="tabs-main--1620580853-1" role="tabpanel" aria-expanded="false" aria-labelledby="tabs-tab--1620580853-1" aria-hidden="true" > <div class="video__embeddable video--orientation--landscape"> <div > <div > <div class="video overflow-hidden"> <div class="video__frame relative h-0 pb-video"> <div class="video__image js-video-hide-on-play absolute z-10 w-full h-full m-auto"> <div data-field="field-media-image"> <img srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_medium/public/media_2020/12/202012WRD_South_Asia_Sexual_Violence.jpg?h=a65e943e&itok=YRnCNSfA 500w, /sites/default/files/styles/16x9_large/public/media_2020/12/202012WRD_South_Asia_Sexual_Violence.jpg?h=a65e943e&itok=oUDPUJ_U 700w, /sites/default/files/styles/16x9_xlarge/public/media_2020/12/202012WRD_South_Asia_Sexual_Violence.jpg?h=a65e943e&itok=MKVz7eEt 1000w, /sites/default/files/styles/16x9_xxl/public/media_2020/12/202012WRD_South_Asia_Sexual_Violence.jpg?h=a65e943e&itok=LY4qkklB 1400w, /sites/default/files/styles/16x9_3xl/public/media_2020/12/202012WRD_South_Asia_Sexual_Violence.jpg?h=a65e943e&itok=x3EFKo8U 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 524px) 500px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (max-width: 1024px) 1000px, (max-width: 1440px) 1400px, 100vw" width="700" height="393" data-responsive-image-style="16x9" src="/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_large/public/media_2020/12/202012WRD_South_Asia_Sexual_Violence.jpg?h=a65e943e&itok=oUDPUJ_U" alt="Women protesting in Pakistan" loading="lazy" /> </div> </div> <button class="video__icon js-video-hide-on-play cursor-pointer absolute h-16 w-16 video-position block z-20" aria-label="click to play video"> <div class="icon fill-current w-full inline-block"> <svg viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="currentColor" role="img" focusable="false" aria-hidden="true" > <title>Play Video</title> <use xlink:href="/themes/custom/hrw_design/dist/app-drupal/assets/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=240611#sprite-play"></use> </svg> </div> </button> <iframe class="video__iframe bg-black w-full h-full absolute" title="South Asia: Justice, Services Can Curb Sexual Violence" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Si2hh-OcN8E?rel=0;&autoplay=1;&enablejsapi=1" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen ></iframe> </div> <details class="video__transcript bg-gray-100 font-sans text-base p-2"> <summary>Read a text description of this video</summary> <div class="m-4"> <div data-field="field-video-transcript"><p>Protests have erupted in countries across South Asia in response to recent horrifying case of sexual violence that have been badly mishandled by governments.</p> <p>From Afghanistan to Bangladesh to India and the Maldives to Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, there is remarkable agreement across the region amongst experts on sexual violence about what needs to change.</p> <p>Survivors of sexual violence, especially girls and women from marginalized communities, face sometimes insurmountable barriers to justice.</p> <p>Vrinda Grover, Lawyer, India</p> <p><em>If you overlay gender with the location of the victim survivor woman, through her caste, working class women, women who are from the religious minority, she finds it almost impossible to access justice because overlaid with all the structural and systemic hurdle is institutional bias.</em></p> <p>When governments fail to respond effectively to sexual violence, survivors suffer and the abuses continue.</p> <p>Ikleela Hameed, Founder of Voice of Children, Maldives</p> <p><em>When somebody is speaking about their experience, there are people in the community who would go and bully them. You know, make them believe that it’s their fault.</em></p> <p>Vrinda Grover, Lawyer, India</p> <p><em>When she is trying to push her complaint forward, we see that at the police station, even there the pressure to withdraw or to go silent.</em></p> <p>Shabnam Salehi, Human Rights Commissioner, Afghanistan</p> <p><em>The judges still consider the victim as a criminal, and they ask a lot of the questions that is against the human dignities. </em></p> <p>Dr. Lhamo Yangchen Sherpa, Expert, Nepal</p> <p><em>It’s not only that the police registers the case. You then have to go to the court which might take years and years. That’s why most of the people, they either do not report or the cases are resolved outside the court.</em></p> <p>In Bangladesh, it is estimated that less than 1 percent of rape cases investigated by police lead to conviction.</p> <p>Umama Zillur, Founder and Director of Kotha, Bangladesh</p> <p><em>At the village level, where you have an informal justice system, one of the most common ways of resolving rape cases there is by deciding that let’s marry off the victim survivor to the rapist.</em></p> <p>Ambika Satkunanathan, Former Human Rights Commissioner, Sri Lanka</p> <p><em>Women do not want to make complaints and seek redress because of the socio-cultural pressures.  But what this does, it also causes great trauma</em></p> <p>Some government leaders in the region have argued that the solution is to execute rapists.</p> <p>Pakistan’s prime minister called for rapists to be executed in public.</p> <p>Bangladesh recently amended a law to add the death penalty for rape and Indian law already permits this in certain circumstances.</p> <p>The experts agree that this is no solution.</p> <p>Shabnam Salehi, Human Rights Commissioner, Afghanistan</p> <p><em>As a human rights activist, I’m not in favor of the death penalty. </em></p> <p>Farieha Aziz, Co-Founder of Bolo Bhi, Pakistan</p> <p><em>Just a few years ago, a child was raped and murdered and her convicted rapist and murderer was given the death penalty, but that has not stopped other cases of child abuse or of sexual violence.</em></p> <p>Umama Zillur, Founder and Director of Kotha, Bangladesh</p> <p><em>Since it is a severe form of punishment for an and all type of rape it will reduce conviction rate across the board. </em></p> <p>Ikleela Hameed, Founder of Voice of Children, Maldives</p> <p><em>When our justice system is not so strong, a death penalty sentence may actually result in the death of an innocent person.</em></p> <p>Vrinda Grover, Lawyer, India</p> <p><em>Death penalty is not a deterrent for any crime, including sexual violence. It lets the state off the hook from doing the work that the state needs to do in order to ensure that women and girls live free lives in this country.</em></p> <p>Governments need to do more to prevent sexual violence, proved services and support to survivors, and remove barriers to justice.</p> <p>Umama Zillur, Founder and Director of Kotha, Bangladesh</p> <p><em>One thing we have been advocating for and fighting for is comprehensive sexuality education to be made mandatory in all our schools. </em></p> <p>Farieha Aziz, Co-Founder of Bolo Bhi, Pakistan</p> <p><em>We do have laws and we do have certain procedures. What is necessary is that they are implemented.</em></p> <p>Ambika Satkunanathan, Former Human Rights Commissioner, Sri Lanka</p> <p><em>We do need more health services geared towards survivors, we need the legal services, we need the police to be sensitized. Hence, it’s not a short-term project as it were, but something that requires long-term change to tackle the problem</em>.</p> <p>Activists Perform Chilean Protest Song, “A Rapist in Your Path.”</p> <p>Governments need to do more to prevent sexual violence, provide services and support to survivors, and remove barriers to justice.</p></div> </div> </details> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="tabs-vertical__main-item hidden" id="tabs-main--1620580853-2" role="tabpanel" aria-expanded="false" aria-labelledby="tabs-tab--1620580853-2" aria-hidden="true" > <div class="video__embeddable video--orientation--landscape"> <div > <div > <div class="video overflow-hidden"> <div class="video__frame relative h-0 pb-video"> <div class="video__image js-video-hide-on-play absolute z-10 w-full h-full m-auto"> <div data-field="field-media-image"> <img srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_medium/public/multimedia_images_2018/201801asia_sri_lanka_police_abuses.png?itok=TyxGyA9D 500w, 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relative"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/multimedia_images_2019/201905asia_sri_lanka_muslim_attacks.jpg?itok=cyM_aEeB" alt="Sri Lankan security officers inspect vandalized shops owned by Muslims in Minuwangoda, a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, May 14, 2019. 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" loading="lazy" class="w-24 unloaded" width="374" height="374" /> </div> <a href="/news/2024/07/28/sri-lanka-authorities-target-religious-minorities" class="hrw-fill" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> </div> </article> </li> <li class="media-list__item py-4 border-t border-gray-200 first:border-0"> <article class="media-block flex w-full flex-row-reverse justify-end "> <div class="media-block__content"> <div class="media-block__info text-sm text-gray-700"> <span class="media-block__date">July 17, 2024</span> <span class="media-block__tag separator-bar font-serif"> News Release </span> </div> <h3 class="media-block__title text-gray-800 media-block__link-gray text-lg font-medium mt-1"> <a href="/news/2024/07/17/sri-lanka-false-terrorism-cases-enable-repression"><span>Sri Lanka: False Terrorism Cases Enable Repression</span> </a> </h3> <p class="media-block__subtitle text-gray-700 text-sm">Politically Motivated Detentions, Surveillance, Threats</p> </div> <div class="media-block__image relative flex-none mr-4 w-24"> <div class="media-block__image-wrapper relative"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2024/07/202407asia_srilanka_supremecourt.jpg?h=47c90ba0&itok=7qP7r07o" alt="Police officers stand in front of a building." loading="lazy" class="w-24 unloaded" width="374" height="374" /> </div> <a href="/news/2024/07/17/sri-lanka-false-terrorism-cases-enable-repression" class="hrw-fill" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> </div> </article> </li> <li class="media-list__item py-4 border-t border-gray-200 first:border-0"> <article class="media-block flex w-full flex-row-reverse justify-end "> <div class="media-block__content"> <div class="media-block__info text-sm text-gray-700"> <span class="media-block__date">June 26, 2024</span> <span class="media-block__tag separator-bar font-serif"> Dispatches </span> </div> <h3 class="media-block__title text-gray-800 media-block__link-gray text-lg font-medium mt-1"> <a href="/news/2024/06/26/sri-lanka-blocks-exam-results-over-muslim-head-coverings"><span>Sri Lanka Blocks Exam Results over Muslim Head Coverings</span> </a> </h3> <p class="media-block__subtitle text-gray-700 text-sm">Government Discrimination Threatens Muslim Female Students’ Futures</p> </div> <div class="media-block__image relative flex-none mr-4 w-24"> <div class="media-block__image-wrapper relative"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2024/06/202406asia_sri%20lanka_girls.jpg?h=dff5cba1&itok=T187WELz" alt="Girls walk along a road in Kattankudy, Sri Lanka, April 25, 2019." loading="lazy" class="w-24 unloaded" width="374" height="374" /> </div> <a href="/news/2024/06/26/sri-lanka-blocks-exam-results-over-muslim-head-coverings" class="hrw-fill" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> </div> </article> </li> <li class="media-list__item py-4 border-t border-gray-200 first:border-0"> <article class="media-block flex w-full flex-row-reverse justify-end "> <div 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