Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women considers report of Sri Lanka

26 January 2011

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has considered the combined fifth to seventh periodic report of Sri Lanka on how that country is implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Introducing the report, Kshenuka Senewiratne, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that following the 30-year terrorist conflict, the State had been compelled to assume an expanded and formidable task of maintaining national security, law and order. Following a lengthy period of negotiations with the terrorist group which had lost its credibility over time, the country’s struggle had finally triumphed over the fighters in May 2009 and it had embarked on the task of rebuilding the nation. In Sri Lanka, women and children were those who suffered the most. The report was presented to show how the Government had sought to respect CEDAW during these challenging years. The current floods in Sri Lanka had destroyed all infrastructure in the east and north east regions, rendering many citizens homeless and this had had a huge impact on women. The country had however continued its efforts to earnestly respect CEDAW recommendations.

Ms. Senewiratne informed the Committee that the process adopted in formulating the National Human Rights Action Plan was significant in that it placed reliance on a consultative approach that sought to include civil society, with one of the thematic areas being “women”. This had identified issues affecting women including health, violence against women, political representation, economic empowerment, employment, women in the informal sector, women migrant workers, women in the rural and plantation sectors, women affected by conflict, the environment, and discrimination against women. In the post conflict era the Government had engaged in rehabilitation efforts of internally displaced persons, including female ex-combatants and their reinsertion in the society. Among the most salient concerns of the Government, the delegation underlined the need to improve in various areas such as the low participation of women in politics, violence against women, protection of women from violence in former conflict areas, women migrant workers, economic empowerment of rural women, unemployment of women and the issue of female headed households.

Questions and issues raised by Experts included questions regarding the absence of specific laws prohibiting discrimination against women, concrete data pertaining to the policy in place which dealt with the return and resettlement of internally displaced persons, especially women, clarifications of the concept of “community”, Sri Lanka’s commitment to adhere to CEDAW recommendations, and the Government’s intended action regarding the alarming statistics about violence against women which went unreported. The delegation was also asked to explain why Sri Lanka still had the lowest participation of women in politics in spite of having produced the first female Prime Minister in the world in 1931, and whether the Government encouraged a policy of appointing competent women to key posts of responsibility in order to change the stereotype views about their capabilities as leaders.

In preliminary concluding remarks, Silvia Pimental, the Committee Chairperson, acknowledged the efforts made by the delegation of Sri Lanka to answer the questions of the Committee as well as their efforts to implement CEDAW’s recommendations. She commended the State party for its commitment and encouraged it to address the recommendations of the Committee which would subsequently be communicated to them in order to move forward with their efforts to promote the condition of women in Sri Lanka.

Also in concluding remarks, Dhara Wijayatillake, Secretary at the Ministry of Technology and Research of Sri Lanka, thanked CEDAW members for the fruitful discussions and assured all that they would continue to improve their efforts. She promised that the delegation would carry home the message and recommendations and they would continue to improve on their efforts for the benefit of women.

The delegation of Sri Lanka included representatives of the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s and Affairs, the Ministry of Technology and Research, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Rehabilitation Commission, the Attorney General’s Department and the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office in Geneva.

The next public meeting of the Committee will be on Thursday, 27 January at 10 a.m., when the Committee will consider the seventh periodic report of Belarus (CEDAW/C/BLR /7).

Report of Sri Lanka

The combined fifth to seventh periodic report of Sri Lanka (CEDAW/C/LKA/5-7) states that the country’s commitment to accord high priority to the observance of its obligations under CEDAW and to act in furtherance of its commitments there under have been pursued during the period under review. Further, this commitment has been sustained during this period despite the State having to focus on the formidable task of maintaining national security and preserving law and order in the face of serious challenges posed by one of the most ruthless terrorist organisations of current times.

The situation of women has improved remarkably as is demonstrated by higher levels of attainment in relation to education, health and economic empowerment, all of which have been possible due to increased sensitivity to women’s issues and a firm Government policy that seeks to empower women and address their grievances. Furthermore, the report states that the Government of Sri Lanka has integrated the Millennium Development Goals into the national development agenda and has registered some progress in that respect. It was noteworthy that a majority of the Goals have a direct impact on the situation relating to women and are being seriously pursued through State action; monitoring the progress at the sub national level is also done with a view to identifying the most vulnerable areas and eliminating disparities.

The report further underlines that the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 2005 provides for a civil process which enables a possible victim to secure speedy court intervention to restrain an aggressor and prevent an act of violence within the home environment and to ensure the safety of the victim. The report stresses that this is a remedy which is independent of the criminal process which provides for the prosecution of an offender for a crime already committed.

The report concludes that Sri Lanka clearly has a commitment to honour its obligations arising under CEDAW and has made great strides in introducing progressive policies to empower women and to improve the quality of their lives. Sri Lanka is conscious of the areas in which improvements are required and is hopeful that its policy framework provides ample scope to remove existing gaps and that certain concerns referred to in the report must be approached with sensitivity and in a conscious manner that will be acceptable by all communities. Further, changes in sensitive areas relating to specific communities will be effected as and when such changes are sought or initiated by the communities concerned and in this regard the Government is constantly engaging civil society activists and experts.

Presentation of Report

KSHENUKA SENEWIRATNE, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that following a 30-year terrorist conflict the State had been compelled to assume the expanded and formidable task of maintaining national security, law and order. Following a lengthy period of negotiations with the terrorist group which had lost its credibility over time, the country’s struggle finally triumphed over the fighters in May 2009 and it had embarked on the task of rebuilding the nation. In Sri Lanka, women and children were those who suffered the most. The report was presented to show how the Government had sought to respect CEDAW during these challenging years.

The current floods in Sri Lanka had destroyed all infrastructure in the east and north east regions and rendered many citizens homeless, and this had had a huge impact on women. The country had, however continued its efforts to earnestly respect CEDAW recommendations.

Ms. Senewiratne said that the process adopted in formulating the National Human Rights Action Plan was significant in that it placed reliance on a consultative approach that sought to include civil society, with one of the thematic areas being “women”. This had identified issues affecting women including health, violence against women, political representation, economic empowerment, employment, women in the informal sector, women migrant workers, women in the rural and plantation sectors, women affected by conflict, the environment, and discrimination against women. The implementation of the Plan contained provisions for the effective monitoring and evaluation of measurable indicators.

The Ministry responsible for human rights issues received monthly reports from protection agencies that had been mandated to monitor the situation with regards to internally displaced persons and followed up on reports of, inter alia, sexual violence against women. Clear directives had been given to the armed forces and the police as to the norms to follow in the event that children and women were arrested or detained.

According to Ms. Senewiratne, in the post conflict era the Government had engaged in rehabilitation efforts of internally displaced persons, including women ex-combatants and their reinsertion in the society. Female beneficiaries of the rehabilitation programme were lodged in separate centres administered by female school teachers of the National Cadet Corp, managed and secured by the Army Women’s Corp. This programme included psychosocial and socio-economic profiling with a view to categorising the beneficiaries for the purpose of pursuing the rehabilitation process. All female ex-combatants who were beneficiaries of the programme had been released and were back with their families. The underage girls who had been forcibly recruited into the army and had surrendered to the Government had all undergone rehabilitation in terms of access to vocational training and literacy courses.

As part of the “lessons learned” programme launched by the President, a commission held several public sittings in Colombo as well as in conflict affected areas and held discussions with women as well as men. Women expressed their views freely and these would certainly receive consideration in the recommendations to follow. An effective response was needed not merely in respect of the social legacies of increased numbers of war widows, but also women who were psychologically affected by the personal violence they suffered and witnessed. Due to the matriarchal values in the Sri Lankan society, women were expected to play an important role in the respect for diversity, pluralism and multiculturalism.

Ms. Senewiratne said that among the most salient concerns of the Government was the need to improve in various areas including: the low participation of women in politics, which was caused by the acrimonious nature of politics, the high costs involved in conducting election campaigns and the perceived lack of confidence of political parties in the ability of women to garner votes; violence against women where legal reform had been undertaken and progressive laws such as the Domestic Violence Act had been enacted, yet there needed to be a focus on prevention and effective implementation; protection of women from violence in former conflict theatres which required continued vigilance to deal with the likelihood of excesses; women migrant workers who faced alarming and tragic incidents in the workplace; economic empowerment of rural women; unemployment of women, which still remained higher than that of men; and female headed households, which had emerged as a new priority concern during the post war period.

Ms. Senewiratne concluded by saying that the country was conscious that real progress would be attained when women were fully empowered. The Government believed in affording women the opportunity to achieve a balance in the multiple roles they chose to play as wife, mother, professional and income earner and further hoped that the value system ingrained in the people would continue to inspire the Government. The ultimate desire of the Government was to ensure real progress that would result in a contented woman who was empowered with the right to make the choices that mattered to her.

Questions by Experts

An Expert expressed concern about the absence of specific laws prohibiting discrimination against women and asked for more information about the incorporation of CEDAW recommendations into Sri Lankan human rights law. Was there a specific act that sought to incorporate the Committee’s recommendations into national legislation with regards to civil and political rights with a special focus on discrimination against women? Also, did this law apply not just in general terms but also in specific terms, as in private persons discriminating against women? How was the Optional Protocol meant to function across the country, especially if the Committee’s recommendations had not been incorporated into national legislation? The delegation was asked to explain what level of collaboration existed with the parliament with regards to the consultative talks with CEDAW, and whether the Constitution fully covered the provisions contained in Article 2 of the Convention.

The Committee had received disturbing information that female internally displaced persons had been separated from their families and placed in detention. The delegation was asked to supply concrete data pertaining to the policy in place which dealt with the return and resettlement of female internally displaced persons. Did the Government consider establishing an international independent committee to oversee post-conflict resettlement efforts?

Another Expert asked what the Government’s position was with respect to the case that Tamil women needed the authorisation of their spouses before they could appear in court, given that the Government did not enter any reservations in this regard. The delegation was asked to clarify the concept of “community” and explain what position women’s opinions occupied within this community.

A Committee member raised concern that Sri Lanka was not sufficiently committed to adhering to CEDAW recommendations because indications pointed to the fact that these were not taken seriously in the formulation of national legislation.

An Expert asked the delegation why women involved in same sex relationships were completely excluded from legal protections, and why law enforcement officers were allowed to arrest and indiscriminately detain them.

The delegation was asked to explain how it dealt with women ex-combatants who had undergone atrocities and harboured enormous amounts of information which could be helpful in preventing a re-occurrence and holding some of the perpetrators of abuses to account. What did the Government intend to do with the alarming statistics regarding violence against women, many cases of which went unreported because the victims’ husbands had been killed in war or by the Tsunami?

Answers by Delegation

Responding to the questions, the delegation said that obligations from CEDAW that were not yet incorporated in the domestic law, especially when the domestic law covered those aspects, were treated as supplementary law. There was no need for the country to address recommendations on issues that were already covered by the Constitution and Penal Code. The country would seek to address complaints about human rights violations that were lodged by victims. The Constitution did not limit the right to seek redress against discrimination and there were no injunctions whatsoever.

The delegation explained that the Optional Protocol provided for complaints to be made when all domestic legislation had been exhausted. Sri Lanka was still able to apply CEDAW recommendations even without incorporating them in domestic law. The legislature and judiciary accorded vibrant reference and attention to CEDAW because the legal structure was framed in such a way that international norms were given adequate consideration. Domestic measures ought to be exhausted in the first instance before resorting to international mechanisms, as these may not be transposed on the national legal system.

With regards to the issue of internally displaced persons, the delegation said about 300,000 internally displaced persons had returned home and the remaining 18,000 would return home in due time. The rehabilitation centres were all run by women and there was no trace of discrimination whatsoever. Some of the internally displaced persons who had been released voluntarily returned to the centre in order to get vocational training; this confirmed the absence of abuse in the centre.

Regarding the Muslim law, the delegation said issues such as child marriages were taken into account in order to eliminate discrepancies. With regards to the issue of same sex relationships, it remained open to interpretation and issues such as prostitution were not treated as crimes in Sri Lanka.

Further, the delegation explained that in cases of sexual violence, there was no question of mediation or conciliation because it was a criminal offence in Sri Lanka. The issue of domestic violence received utmost attention from the Government and the Domestic Violence Act provided for victims to seek legal redress without any further constraints. Legislation had been introduced in 1999 to prevent crime and the Government was engaged in effectively applying the provisions with a focus on zero tolerance. The Government was also very committed to the elimination of discrimination in Sri Lankan society and there were ongoing reforms to amend the current provisions.

Regarding security zones, the delegation said this was of very high sensitivity and was being examined at the highest level in order to provide security to every citizen. The delegation said there would be consultations with civil society and non-governmental organisations, and the report would be submitted to parliament. This had not been done earlier simply due to administrative changes, not because of a lack of political will to do so. The delegation welcomed every international organisation to visit Sri Lanka at any time in order to form an independent opinion of the current state of affairs.

In the case of violations by non-state actors, female victims could seek redress in the Supreme Court.

Questions by Experts

An Expert noted that Sri Lanka still had the lowest participation of women in politics in spite of having produced the first female Prime Minister in the world in 1931, and asked why the Government lacked a quota for women in local governance. What efforts had been undertaken to boost the capacity of women interested in political activity and did the state provide financial support in order to encourage women to enter politics? Also, what enabling environment had been created in order to encourage women to undertake vocational training in traditional male dominant professions and did the Government adopt a policy of positive bias to favour women’s access to employment? Further, did the Government encourage a policy of appointing women to key posts of responsibility in order to change the stereotypical views about their capabilities as leaders? Could the delegation provide disaggregated data on the number of female representatives in the local government organs as well as in parliament?

A Committee member asked the delegation to explain why the Geneva Conventions were yet to be ratified in spite of the presence of internally displaced persons in the country? What were the main concrete obstacles which prevented women from acceding to leadership positions? What legal provisions were in place to change the patriarchal attitudes prevalent in the society?

An Expert commended the delegation for enacting the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act but wanted to know why the adjoining Plan of Action had not yet been implemented? What was done to address cases in which societal realities did not allow women to seek redress in case of domestic violence? The delegation was asked to provide data on instances of rape and other sexual offences and to explain what protection was in place to guard against such crimes. Why did marital rape, in the case of a de facto divorce, go unpunished and what steps did the Government envision to criminalise this? What protection was there for teen rape victims who were too young and incapable of consent?

An Expert informed the delegation that a State party was expected to take steps to suppress trafficking of women and children, and asked why Sri Lanka had not ratified the Protocol that prohibited the practice and punished the traffickers. What legal provisions were in force to protect victims of trafficking in Sri Lanka from further violations and discrimination? What stopped the Government from prosecuting traffickers and what did the Ministry of Labour?

The delegation was asked to explain what measures were in force to curb the prevalence of child prostitution given that CEDAW required States parties to undertake preventive measures to eradicate this practice. What training was provided to law enforcement agencies in investigation techniques and dealing with victims of trafficking, especially for prostitution, forced employment and organ sale?

Answers by Delegation

In answering these questions, the delegation said there was a need to observe and learn from how Sri Lanka’s South Asian neighbours had handled the issue in order to increase the number of women in politics.

The National Human Rights Action Plan was meant to protect women who had been victims of violence.

The Government would continue monitoring the evolution of the issue of female headed households.

There was a growing effort to raise awareness in the population about the legal provisions criminalising domestic violence through the media. However, the application of the law would be done with a lot of caution because the remedies should not destabilise the household.

There was a very comprehensive regime to deal with sexual violence and the Government intended to do this in a structured manner.

Statutory rape did not apply to wives below 16 but above 12 years old because Muslim law allowed for marriage from 12 years old. Over 200 girls were in centres run by women and there had been no rape complaints registered so far. In addition, legal provisions allowed martial courts to prosecute military perpetrators of violence against women.

According to the delegation, there was a school of thought which argued that there was room in the penal code for prosecution of a complaint of rape even when the couple remained intact. The delegation underscored that there was no intention to review marital rape and that there was no need to have a separate law covering sexual offences since the current legislation had proved to be very effective. The delegation also underlined that when a man obtained consent through force, he would be liable for prosecution and the Government was working on how the victims tabled such complaints.

Regarding human trafficking, the delegation said Sri Lanka had signed the Convention prohibiting trafficking and was implementing this through the penal code which punished perpetrators. The Government planned to rank problematic employment agencies and would take action against them in the hope of regulating trafficking of persons, especially women and children. The Police Academy had integrated a training module in its programme and over a thousand officers had received training in that domain. In addition, the government had issued guidelines to ease the identification of trafficking victims for the sex industry.

The delegation underlined that the embassies of Sri Lanka had helped repatriate several women stranded in the Middle East who experienced unfavourable working conditions.

Regarding the issue of custody disputes, the delegation said Sri Lankan Courts made rulings based on the child’s best interest.

The delegation informed the Committee that the Optional Protocol was signed in 2000, but the ratification process was still underway.

Questions by Experts

An Expert observed that women represented only 6 per cent of politicians at the local and national levels, while the Tamil community was the most underrepresented minority group. What did the Government envision to remedy this situation at the local, provincial and national level? Why had so few female candidates spoken out against attacks and the absence of the right to vote for women migrant workers living abroad? Could there be a provision for female Buddhists to be allowed to vote during elections?

The delegation was asked to explain why, apart from the single female member of the Commission of Lessons Learnt, women were not involved at most levels of the reconciliation and reconstruction process. What was the current situation regarding the number of women in Sri Lanka’s diplomatic corps and what measures were being taken to encourage their training in this domain? Was it possible to challenge the use of affirmative action in favour of women in the area of political representation in the country?

An Expert lauded the Government of Sri Lanka, which had sent a female dominated delegation to this meeting, but regretted the fact that equality between men and women had been declared but had not been put into practice. How did the Government intend to translate this declaration into concrete action given that Sri Lanka fell below the world average of 19 percent of female participation in the public life of the State? The delegation was urged to carry out key research on issues such as early marriages and female unemployment in order to effectively inform public opinion on the matter.

Despite the various constraints that existed in Sri Lanka, the most visible women in politics and public life remained at the level of the municipalities. An Expert asked whether the Government could adopt policies that would help advance gender mainstreaming throughout the country. Now that peace had been achieved, could the Government devote most of its budget in training, educating and empowering women?

An Expert asked about the issues of violence against women, stereotypical beliefs and training of women, and how these were taken into account to enable women to participate in the political life of the country.

Answers by Delegation

Responding, the delegation said several female psychologists and other professionals were employed in the rehabilitation headquarters and in the field in the various centres. There was no Supreme Court decision that prevented the use of affirmative action in favour of women. The delegation said that the voting rights of migrant workers had been addressed by the appropriate department.

Questions by Experts

In another round of questions, an Expert asked whether Buddhist women were prohibited from voting as per the civil ordinance law.

An Expert quoted a Supreme Court special determination from an alternative source which referred to Article 12.4 which prevented the authorisation to use affirmative action and asked what further explanations the delegation could offer.

Answer by Delegation

The delegation said there was no doubt about Articles 12.1 and 12.2 allowing the use of affirmative action and these measures did not in any way jeopardise the application of equality for women. The delegation asked the Committee for more time to read the specific judgment before giving an accurate response.

Questions by Experts

An Expert remarked that the Government had done very well in primary, secondary and tertiary education in the face of ongoing conflict and asked for disaggregated data on women in education including minority women. Further, the delegation’s report showed that girls performed better than boys and the number of women in universities had increased, but the report also indicated a very low presence of women in science and technology, except at very low support levels. What measures had been taken to remedy the increasing stereotypes about women? Were there any temporary measures to speed the elimination of discrimination against women in the field of education and training? What policies were envisaged to change the perception of women, especially in leadership positions?

Another Expert addressed the issue of migrant workers and asked what concrete measures had been taken in this regard. Given that the labour market in Sri Lanka was very segregated along gender lines and women were the most unskilled workers, with a few exceptions, an Expert asked for more explanations on the matter. What measures were taken to address the gender gap in the labour market and to protect women with disabilities?

Sri Lanka had been accorded a lot of attention and support by the World Bank regarding two women’s development programmes. How did the government intend to use this support to better the condition of the women? What specific strategies would be put in place to enhance gender mainstreaming in the labour market and protect women from abuse? The Expert sought to understand if the Government had established a care strategy which considered women as equal partners in the reconstruction process. Experts asked how remittances from migrant workers that were transferred back home were used to enhance development.

Referring to Article 12, an Expert welcomed the information supplied in relation to mother and child care, but expressed concern that the issue of family planning had not been addressed in the article. Why was the use of contraception better accepted in the urban areas as opposed to the rural areas? The delegation was asked to explain the absence of efforts at educating the population on the issue of sexuality, which inevitably led to or influenced the prevalence of rape, early pregnancy, clandestine abortions and maternal deaths; what measures did the Government envision to solve the problem?

The delegation was asked to explain whether there existed a law preventing unmarried men and women from possessing condoms or from having sex because there had been reports of arrests of people who carried condoms in their handbags.

An Expert said that as a country under reconstruction, women ought to be empowered with access to credit and other banking services in order to enhance their ownership of land. The Expert asked the delegation to explain why there was no policy to grant women the right to either own land alone or with their spouses and other female friends.

The Committee expressed concerns that development had by-passed the rural community and asked what concrete measures the Government had engaged in to remedy these disparities in the reconstruction and development process. How had the Government implemented the Committee’s previous recommendations? Most Sri Lankan women face several economic challenges, especially access to credit. The Committee asked the delegation to explain the steps taken to change this tendency. What was the Government’s level of determination to fully engage in productive affirmative action?

Answers by Delegation

Regarding rural women and equal access to social services, the delegation said this was done without bias throughout the country and the Government endeavoured to bridge the gap between the rural and urban sectors. Many programmes specifically targeting rural women had been implemented. One department was in charge of identifying projects that could be beneficial for rural women and which they could perform while staying at home.

There was no bar to owning land nor was there a bar to joint ownership of land. Fragmentation of land was limited, but was not gender sensitive. However, grants given by the Government carried specific rules as to who got the grants, but women were not targeted.

The delegation underlined that there was an actual tendency not to target girls below 18 years of age regarding the possession of contraception or condoms. Adolescent sex was not socially accepted in Sri Lanka and this was not addressed in public or openly.

With regards to maternity benefits, the report contained details in that domain.

The delegation insisted that there was no law in the country which penalised the possession of condoms because the police officers were not empowered to do that at any moment. The Government was committed to extending healthcare services, especially for HIV/AIDS, in the rehabilitation centres. In secondary schools students received sex and health education through a well defined course designed for that particular purpose.

The delegation underlined that detailed data about education was maintained at the provincial and district levels and was not available to the delegation. Further, the delegation said that women in education were allowed to choose the course of study they deemed good for their skills and talents; there were no practice to dissuade women from science and technology. The delegation underlined that Act 28 of 1996 protected the rights of persons with disabilities and that several initiatives had been taken to implement these rights. In addition, a job centre had been tasked with conducting a study in order to provide jobs to disabled persons and this trend would be earnestly pursued. Other services such as wheel chairs, reading lenses and other health services were provided to them.

Questions by the Experts

An Expert asked the delegation how various religious and customary laws were implemented and what was the percentage of female judges in the various courts? What developments had been undertaken to overturn the fact that divorce in the country was viewed as fault based? With respect to property, how did the Government proceed in the allocation of property in the case of a divorce?

Answers by Delegation

The delegation said the courts that administered the laws were basically the same and there were no separate courts based on which law was sought to be enforced. The Committee was informed that general law classified divorce as fault based, but there were initiatives to modify this.

Regarding polygamy, though permitted under the Muslim law the delegation underlined that the practice was virtually nonexistent as the husband needed to have adequate financial means to support both spouses and had to obtain the consent of the first spouse before marrying a second wife. Joint ownership was also allowed, and the court decided how the property would be divided should the couple divorce.

The delegation said there was a huge influx of women in the judiciary department and there were full departments where the ratio of men to women was 1 to 99.

Questions by Experts

Was there really no law which allowed people to be arrested when they carried condoms in their purses?

An Expert expressed concerns that lesbian and transgender women were exposed to discrimination as they could be admitted to special psychosocial centres where they were forced to receive psychological treatment.

Would the Government instruct the Attorney General to allow the possibility of joint-ownership of land?

Answer by Delegation

The delegation declared that carrying condoms in Sri Lanka was not an offence at all.

Irrespective of religion, culture or sexual orientation, women received all health services on an as needed basis.

There was no Attorney General ruling which would stop the Government from allowing joint ownership of land in the country, but the delegation said it would trace the opinion and see how it was implemented.

Referring to a question on discrimination against lesbians, the delegation said the acts of gross sex indecencies between male persons had provoked the discussions for legislation on sexual orientation, but the Government requested the parliament to be sex-neutral.

Concluding Remarks

In concluding remarks, SILVIA PIMENTEL, the Committee Chairperson, thanked the Committee members and the delegation for the interactive discussion. She acknowledged the efforts made by the delegation of Sri Lanka to answer the questions of the Committee as well as their efforts to implement the Committee’s recommendations. She commended the State party for its commitment and encouraged it to address the recommendations of the Committee which would subsequently be communicated to them in order to move forward with its efforts to promote the condition of women in Sri Lanka.

Also in concluding observations, DHARA WIJAYATILLAKE, Secretary at the Ministry of Technology and Research of Sri Lanka, thanked the Committee members for the fruitful discussions and assured them that they would continue to improve their efforts. She promised that the delegation would carry home the message and recommendations of the Committee and they would continue to improve on their efforts for the benefit of women.

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