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OCTOBER 2011 MIHISARA .

“Violence against Women is Violence against Humanity”



Savisthri (Development Alternatives for Women) Movement has made elaborate plans to hold a protest and a signature campaign on the theme “Violence against Women is Violence against Humanity” at the Vihara Maha Devi Park opposite the Colombo Municipal Council, Sri Lanka on 14.12.2012 from 1000 hrs – 12 noon to mark the international Human Rights Day which fell on 10.12.2012, with the participation of intellectuals, religious dignitaries and members of various other organizations.
Speeches in brevity will be delivered by a selected few regarding the inconveniences caused canted especially to women as a consequence of violence against them, sexual assaults, assassinations and disappearances, instice not  meted out to women in the North and East in the post war era, threats levelled against the media etc.


Programme for the Human Rights Day – 14/12/2012

Theme             – Violence against women is violence against humanity.

Programme    – To launch the Public Signature Campaign to continue till the Womens’ Day.  

Venue             – Vihara Maha Devi Park

Agenda         – Responsibility vests with Ms K.P. Somalatha, Chairperson of the Savisthri Movement.

9.30     – Arrival of participants.

10.00   – Religious Dance (to the tune of  the song  Patu Adahas Nam Pawrin”  by Disrukshi of Matara.
           
10.10   – Clarification of the objective by M/s Padma Pushpakanthi, Convener, WASJ.

10.20   – Expression of Views regarding the violation of human rights in various fields – (05 minutes    each)
 
      Violation of human rights as a consequence of the grabbing of land by various companies and how it pressurizes women. (Savisthri member of the Monaragala District . . . .) – (05 minutes each)

     Violation of human rights of the Tamil Women of the plantation labour sector. (Savisthri member, Nuwara Eliya District . . . ) – (05 minutes each)

    Human rights of the women in the North and the South  - Fr. Sathyavel – (05 minutes each)

   Mode of establishing the image of the social woman in the existing era – Sister Christine, Jana Kalana Asapuwa – (05 minutes each)

   Spate of assassinations of women in the Kotakethana area – Rohine Weerasinghe – Kantha Shanthi Sanvidanaya – (05 minutes each)

   Problems encountered by women as a result of various dissappearences which have become the order of the day – Sundya Eknaligoda – (05 minutes each)

11.10   - Main lecture - Looking at the independence of the Judiciary and the impeachment motion with a womens perspective – Attorney – at – Law S.G. Punchihewa – (10 minutes each)

11.20   – Future Suggestions

11.30   – Vote of Thanks – M/s Girte Ranawaka
 



The contribution made by Savisthti to the “Food Day” programme implemented in the Country.

The theme of the “Food Day” programme was to affirm the right to food, land water and seeds.
Savisthri which is a partner organization of the Praja Abhilasha Net work and the Movement for the protection of Land Rights had carried out a poster campaign, distributed hand-bills, held on awareness programme engaged in colliding signatures to a petition to be handed over to the responsible authorities, and held media discussions too in three selected Districts where Savisthri has been implementing it’s programmes during the period 9th October to 16th October 2012, which week had been reserved to commoncrate the “Food Day”. Added to this certain other programmes are expected to be held in the near future.

This programme organized by the Anuradhapura District Savisthri Collection was held at Kekirawa (Anuradhapura) from 9th October to 16th October.
A basic awareness had been given and plans formulated to implement the future programmes. Mr. Herman Kumara of Praja Abhilasha Net Work served as the resource person.
In the A’pura District a majority of farmers engaged in farming in the seasons known as Yala and Maha utilize the waters distributed from the river “Kala Wewa”

Due to the draught which is prevailing in the region, no waters are released from the river as a consequence of which their crops, the cultivation for which they had exhausted all their wealth and might had been destroyed and farmers are undergoing immense hardships due to the loss they have suffered. All the member agreed to hand over a petition to the Regional Manager of the Mahawali Ministry  with copies to His Excellency the President and the Minister Concerned to take early action to distribute water equitably to enable them to do their farming.     

The right to seeds
By now a bill has been passed enabling the - company to handle the seed production and all it’s ancilliary work, the implementation of which in the near future would be a great blow to the farmer women who had been carrying out this work on a small scale. For protecting this right which is to be grabbed from these poor women.  
  • Members to take the responsibility to organize awareness programmes at village level regarding the new Seed Act.
         Members have taken the responsibility to take action to increase the number of women
         engaged in seed production from number two to ten each.

Monaragala District
The elephant – man conflict and the usurpation of farmers land by companies such as ‘Dole’ have posed a severe threat to those in the Monaragala District.
Imparting a basic awareness regarding this matter and resorting to under-mentioned activities as programmes to be carried out in the near future have been identified :-
  • Collection of seeds at village level and giving an awareness regarding the Seed Act.
  • To inquire regarding the usurpation of lands by the companies such as ‘Dole’.
  • To organize a media discussion at village level regarding the removal of the farmers community in view of the Uma-Oya Development programme.
Matara District
This programme organized by the Matara District Savisthri collective was held at the ‘Sama Viharaya’ (a Buddhist Temple) in the Matara District.
Mr. Thilak Kariyawasam served as the resource person.
Rajan from the Praja Abilasha Net work and three members including the National Secretary M/S Padma Pushpakanthi of Savisthri participated at this conference which was well attended.
The objective was to hold the Food Day for a week from 09.10.12 – 16.10.2012 throughout the island.
  • To give an awareness regarding the grabbing of land carried out on the pretext of development work.
  • Usurpation of land
  • Destrnetion of water sources.
Problems prevarling in the areas
Weragampita – Increase in the insecurity of lands.
Niluala Project ………………
East ………………

Future Work Plans
  • Handing over of the document containing the signatures collected against the grabbing of land at the meeting of the District Committee to be held on the 28th instant.
  • Submit the information collected from the villages Nupe and Weragampita at District committee meeting.
  • Submission of the signatures collected by 28th October 2012.
  • Collection of information regarding the acquisition of land for the tourist industry 
 The Food Day campaign held at the Vihara Maha Devi Park regarding the right to Land, Water, Food and Seeds.
 
The awareness programme held at Matara on the Food Day.

The hand-bill displayed on the Food Day, regarding the grabbing of land. 
 
          Display of posters regarding the right to food, water, land and seeds.

 The Food Day campaign held at Kekirawa, Anuradhapura.
 











The Family Counselling programme held on 18/10/2012 at the office of the Savisthri Movement Galle District Branch.

On 18/10/2012 the above family counselling programme was conducted by the People’s Law Forum, Maradana, Colombo 08. Sri Lanka, to give an awareness to the members of the Savisthri Galle District Branch regarding family conselling, harassment of women and children, the legal action that should be taken regarding such offences, at which institution such complaints should be lodged etc.
At this meeting an explanation was made regarding the distinction between sexual assault on a child and child abuse and the way a complaint should be written regarding such an offence and to which institute such complaints should be made. A mother who was participating narrated a story how her daughter was sexually assaulted and she and the participants were give an awareness as to the legal procedure that should be adopted.

Approximately 25 individuals participated and the view expressed by the participants was that this process should continue and that another workshop held to give further awareness regarding this matter.













ඉතින් සමුගනිමු ආදරණීය සොයුරිය, ජානකී.


නැවිගල කන්ද
සාමදානයේ සැතපෙන්නා සේ වැතිරගෙන
කදුපාමුල
යටවත්ත මිටියාවත සිසාරා
සොවින් දළුලන වළාතීර අතරේ
නුඹ දුටු දයාබර මානව සිහිනය
ස්වර්ගස්ත වී ඇත්තා සේය . . . . .
එහෙත් එය උත්හාස වෙනු නියතය
ජීවත්වන මව්වරුන්ගේ හදවත් තුරුලේ
නුඹ නැග ගිය කදුමිටියාවත් සිසාර
ජානකී මිස්
   
නුඹ . . . . . .
මවක් නොවුවද කිසිදින
සැබැවින්ම මවක්මය නුඹ
අනුන්ගේ දුවා දරුවනට
අදුරු මුළුතැන් ගෙවල් සිසාරා
හමා ගියාය ස්නේහයේ සතුට සුළග සේ
අම්මාවරුන් හුන්තැනින් ඉහළට ඔසවා හොවා ලූ
විශ්වයේ උන් කුඩා උන් නොවන බව උනට පෙන්වා ලූ
අම්මාවරුන්ගේ අම්මා විය නුඹ . . . . . . .
සවිස්ත්‍රී සමාජ පවුලේ
සමාජ සාධාරණත්ව කතිකාවේ
නිහඩ අකුණුසැරය විය
නුඹ

සැබැවින්ම නුඹට විය දේශපාලනයක්
යහපාලනය පිළිබද පැහැදිලි මතයක්
එහෙයින්
නොවිය යුතුව තිබුණි
නුඹ මෙතරම් කඩිනමින්
රාජිනිය ස්වර්ග රාජ්‍යයේ
විය යුතුව තිබුණි
කටුක දුක් විදින දිරිය ගැහැණිය
වෙනස්කළ යුතු වූ මේ සමාජ වපසරියේ

අප අසරණ වෙලා කියා අපට දැනෙනවා
දයාබර සොයුරියේ
නුඹ වෙතින් හිස් වූ තැන
නුඹට මිය අන් කවරෙකු
රදවන්නද අප
නුඹ කළේ පඩියට රැකියාවක් නොවන නිසා

කෙසේ නම් වලකන්න එහෙත්
නුඹ නික්ම ගොස් හමාරය
නුඹ කළ මෙහෙය උතුම්ය
අනාගතය පුරාවට දොසක් නොඅසා
සදාතනිකව සැතපෙන්න සමාදානයේ
නුඹගේ ආත්මය සුන්දරය
සිනා පිරි මුවැගින් නොකියමු
කදුළු පිරි ‍නෙතැතින් පවැසිමු
ඉතින් සමුගනිමු
ආදරණීය සොයුරිය
ජානකී.

සවිස්ත්‍රි පවුලේ සියළු නෑ හිත මිතුරන්. . . .