Addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Through Public Institutions

The project aims to advance gender equality and the human rights of women and girls by strengthening Sri Lanka’s capacity to respond to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) including in the context of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It is designed to support the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs other relevant government entities the National Human Rights Commission and local women’s rights organizations in their response to SGBV. It also seeks to support the implementation of SGBV-related policies and strategies including the Policy Framework and National Plan of Action to Address SGBV (2016-2020). Activities include: (1) commissioning the first national-level survey to gather data on SGBV; (2) training officials from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and other relevant government entities to understand and use data to generate evidence-based responses to SGBV; (3) training the Sri Lanka National Human Rights Commission to understand SGBV and the role it can play in addressing SGBV; (4) building the capacity of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Women and Child Affairs to monitor the implementation of selected government policies and strategies particularly the Policy Framework and National Plan of Action to Address SGBV; (5) supporting increased engagement and collaboration between the Sri Lankan Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and local women’s rights organizations in order to advance women’s equality and empowerment; and 6) addressing the increased SGBV challenges for vulnerable populations due to the COVID-19 pandemic through support to hospitals virtual counselling for victims of violence and a media (including social media) campaign against SGBV.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased effectiveness of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Women and Child Affairs in addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV); (2) strengthened monitoring by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Women and Child Affairs of the implementation of selected government policies and strategies particularly the Policy Framework and National Plan of Action to Address SGBV (2016-2020); and (3) improved engagement of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Women and Child Affairs with local women’s rights organizations to advance women’s equality and empowerment.