Calendar

2016

Transforming our world:

the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Member states of the United Nations pledged to leave no one behind when they came together in September
2015 to agree on the post-2015 global development agenda that seeks to build on the Millennium Development
Goals and complete what it did not achieve. This ambitious agenda proposes 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets that seek to address the three dimensions of sustainable development:
economic, social and environmental development. Issues addressed include ending poverty and hunger,
improving health and education, making cities more sustainable, combating climate change, protecting
oceans and forests, realizing the human rights of all, achieving gender equality and, the empowerment of
all women and girls.
We believe that eliminating gender based discrimination and ensuring womens equality and empowerment is
a critical pre-condition to realise this global agenda as women make up more than half of the worlds population.
We therefore call upon all stakeholders to act in collaboration and partnership to implement the SDGs.
This calendar takes a closer look at global goals and targets directly affecting women and girls in Sri Lanka
and highlights some critical issues that must be addressed now if we are to achieve these goals by 2030.
This calendar has been developed by the Women and Media Collective (WMC) with support from the Asian Pacific Resource andResearch Centre for Women (ARROW). For information on the content of this calendar
and to find out more about women and the SDGs, please contact:
Women and Media Collective
No. 56/1, Sarasavi Lane,
Castle Street, Colombo 08.
Sri Lanka.

Phone:+ 94 - 11 - 2690201/ 5632045 / 5635900

Fax:+ 94 - 11 - 2690192
Email:wmcsrilanka@gmail.com
Web:http://www.womenandmedia.org
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/womenandmediacollective
Twitter:http://twitter.com/womenandmedia

Funded by ARROW Produced by Women and Media Collective Written by Evangeline de Silva Designed by Velayudan Jayachithra Printed by Globe Printing Works

2016

Photo : Charthurika Amarasinghe

JANUARY 2016

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat Sun

1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Tamil Thai Pongal Day

Duruthu Full Moon

Poya Day

Current Reality
Recent poverty indices for Sri Lanka indicate
a steady decline in the national poverty head
count ratio. It achieved middle-income status
and is also categorized as a country with high
human development. However, there are
economic and social disadvantages that
compel women to bear a disproportionate
share of the burden of poverty. Among these
are economic and social deprivations faced
by war widows, female headed households,
women in the Estate/Plantation sectors,
women with disabilities, elderly women,
unskilled manual women labourers, women
engaged in seasonal jobs, women migrant
workers and women marginally above the
poverty line who are without sustainable
sources of income.

1.4 -

SDG Target

By 2030, ensure that all men and

women, in particular the poor and the
vulnerable, have equal rights to economic
resources, as well as access to
basic services, ownership and control
over land and other forms of property,
inheritance, natural resources, appropriate
new technology and financial services,
including microfinance.

What Sri Lanka Wants

Development of a gender responsive
poverty eradication policy,
addressing the needs of vulnerable and
marginalized women.
Holistic interventions for poverty
eradication by government and
private sector stakeholders.

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

Sex disaggregated statistics on

poverty in all economic sectors.

Photo : Sharni Jayawardena

FEBRUARY 2016
Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29
National Day

Navam Full Moon Poya Day

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

Current Reality
Sri Lanka boasts of high literacy and
educational attainment for girls and
women. However, this does not
translate into parity in the economic
and employment sphere. Women
comprise twice the number of the
unemployed compared to men.
Women mostly engage in informal
sector work where gender based
wage disparities prevail. Various
customary laws also discriminate
against women and prevent them
from exercising their right to own,
manage, use and dispose of land
and property.

SDG Target

all forms of discrimination

5.1 - End
against all women and
girls everywhere.

What Sri Lanka Wants

Repeal discriminatory laws and
abolish discriminatory practices.
Provide adequate legal and
policy interventions to
enable the full enjoyment of
social, economic and
political rights for women.

Photo : Sanchia Brown

MARCH 2016

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat Sun

1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31

Current Reality
The Sri Lankan Parliament has never had
more than 6% of female representatives.
Yet women make up almost 52% of our
population and are a majority of our
voter base. Due to the lack of political
representation, womens interests and
concerns are often disregarded. Women
are most often seen as victims rather
than citizens with agency and rights and,
hence most often marginalized in the
field of governance. The lack of womens
representation in decision making positions
is a major factor in the formulation of
gender blind policies in critical areas such
as safety and bodily integrity, economic
development, health and education, post
war reconciliation and, democratization.

Maha Sivarathri Day

Medin Full Moon Poya Day

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

Good Friday

5.5 -

SDG Target

Ensure womens full and effective

participation and equal opportunities for
leadership at all levels of
decision-making in political,
economic and public life.

What Sri Lanka Wants

A constitutional provision that allows
for affirmative action to increase

womens political representation by

at least 30%.

At least 30% mandatory reserved

seats for women in parliament and
at provincial councils and local
government.
Ensure that every second appointment
from the National lists of political
parties is given to a woman.

Photo : Sachini Perera

APRIL 2016

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat Sun

1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30
Day Prior to Sinhala & Tamil
New Year Day

Sinhala & Tamil

New Year Day

Bak Full Moon Poya Day

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

Current Reality
National level womens health statistics
often hide regional disparities, especially
among conflict-affected areas in the
North and East, in districts that are also
economically underperforming, and in the
Estate/Plantation sector. There is still much
to be done especially in terms of rights and
services for vulnerable sub-populations
of women (such as young girls from rural
backgrounds, widows, sex workers, female
headed households and single unmarried
women who are vulnerable due to cultural
and social norms that stigmatize them)
and those from varying sexual orientation
and gender identity.

3.7 -

SDG Target

By 2030, ensure universal access

to sexual and reproductive health-care
services, including for family planning,
information and education, and the
integration of reproductive health into
national strategies and programmes.

What Sri Lanka Wants

Universal accessibility to ensure
sexual and reproductive health
services to all segments of the
population.

Reform or annulling of out-dated

legislation and policies from
a rights-based perspective.
Allocation of sufficient human and
financial resources with a gender lens
to implement and monitor current
health policies and national
strategic plans.

Photo : Kanchana Sumali

Mon

MAY 2015
Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Current Reality

Sat Sun

30 31 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
May Day

Vesak Full Moon Poya Day

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

Day Following
Vesak Full Moon Poya Day

The contribution of women to the Sri Lankan

economy is considered to be high in the
foreign employment sector, garment sector
and plantation sector. However, womens
participation in the labour force is very low.
Labour Force Survey data from 2014 indicate
that only 34.7% females (15 years and over)
were economically active whereas this was
74.6% for males. The female unemployment
rate is 6.1 and 3.0% for males. The majority
among
the
economically
inactive
population are females (74.8%), i.e. about
5.8 million persons. The main reason reported
for the majority among females (62.8%) to be
outside the labour force is their involvement
in housework, while 4.3% of females noted a
disability or physical illness as a reason.

8.5

SDG Target

- By 2030, achieve full and productive

employment and decent work for all
women and men, including for young
people and persons with disabilities, and
equal pay for work of equal value.

What Sri Lanka Wants

Improved opportunities for part time
work, promote maternity leave and
realistic paternity leave and child
care services, and, provide disability
access to work places to eliminate
associated stigma.
Strengthen national policies and
foreign investment policies to
promote equal pay for equal work.

Promote access to job information and

placement services to all genders.
Recognition of and equal wages for
women farmers.

Photo : Sanchia Brown

Mon

JUNE 2016
Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Current Reality

Sat Sun

1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

Sri Lanka actively engages in social

media networks, citizen journalism sites
have proliferated and alternative media
has found a space in local languages.
It has provided a platform for women
and womens groups who have limited
access to mainstream media for
advocacy, information exchange and
entrepreneurial development. Yet the
benefits of communication technology
is not spread evenly across the country.
Stark differences are seen in ownership of
computers within households while only
11.4% of households island wide have
internet access with the highest being
Colombo, and Mullativu the lowest.
However, there is acceleration in mobile
telephone penetration enabling those
who own a device with mobile internet
to access the world wide web and its
opportunities and risks (CENWOR, 2015).

Poson Full Moon Poya Day

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

5.b -

SDG Target

Enhance the use of enabling

technology, in particular information
and communications technology, to
promote the empowerment of women.

What Sri Lanka Wants

Provide women with more access to

ICT to enhance educational

opportunities, and for womens
economic empowerment.

Develop ICT tools to tackle

social issues including sexuality
education, cybersex discrimination
and gender based stereotyping.

Photo : Priyanthi Fernando

Mon

JULY 2016
Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat Sun

1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramazan Festival Day)

Esala Full Moon Poya Day

Current Reality
Sri Lanka has high national coverage for
access to improved water supply and
sanitation, at 84 and 86 per cent respectively.
However, there are considerable disparities
based on geographic locations and a need
for customized solutions in places of poor
access to public sanitation (such as schools,
urban centres, transportation networks and
pilgrimage centres) that continue to be
major locations of harassment especially
of women and girls. Indicators on enduse behaviour and practices (washing
hands with soap, environmental safety in
disposing of human excreta, menstrual
hygiene) are also limited, resulting in critical
gaps in interventions. Poor outcomes in the
education and health sectors, particularly
related to malnutrition and water-borne
diseases, are closely linked with lack of
access to knowledge and good-quality
water and sanitation.

6.2 -

SDG Target

By 2030, achieve access to

adequate and equitable sanitation and
hygiene for all and end open defecation,
paying special attention to the needs of
women and girls and those in
vulnerable situations.

What Sri Lanka Wants

Strengthen and enforce policies and

programmes to promote access

and quality of water and sanitation
services.

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

Gender sensitive budgeting and cost

allocation especially for the long-term
maintenance of facilities.

Photo : Sepali Kottegoda

AUGUST 2016

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat Sun

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31
Nikini Full Moon Poya Day

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

Current Reality
Gender roles that prevail within Sri Lankan
households propel women to undertake the
bulk of unpaid care work in the household,
such as minding and educating children,
looking after older family members, caring for
the sick, cooking and collecting water and
fuel. Consequently, women have less time
to engage in income generating productive
activities. According to the Labour Force Survey
(2014), the share of contributing family workers
(unpaid) to the total employment is 8.9%, and
it is 20.6% for females, which is much higher
compared to the contribution of males (2.9%)
in the same category.

5.4

SDG Target

- Recognize and value unpaid care

and domestic work through the provision
of public services, infrastructure and social
protection policies and the promotion of
shared responsibility within the household and
the family as nationally appropriate.

What Sri Lanka Wants

Recognition of the social and economic

value of the roles of women and girls in
providing unpaid care in national data
on the economy and the Gross Domestic
Product.
Redistribution of unpaid care work through
shared responsibilities, comprehensive
childcare facilities, and universal
enjoyment of maternity/paternity benefits.
Renegotiation of gender roles and domestic
responsibilities at the household level
through national policy and programming.
Media and social campaigns highlighting
womens economic contributions within the
family and in the broader economy.

Photo : Sharni Jayawardena

SEPTEMBER 2016
Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat Sun

1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30

Id-Ul-Alha (Hadji Festival Day)

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

Binara Full Moon Poya Day

Current Reality
There is a notable lack of age appropriate
comprehensive sexuality and life skills education
which is a vital need as adolescents make up
about 20% of Sri Lankas population. According
to the Department of Census and Statistics, even
though adolescent fertility has declined in most
developing countries, Sri Lankas fertility transition
with respect to adolescents seems to be going
in the opposite direction. Teenage pregnancies
have detrimental consequences on the mother
and child as adolescent mothers are more
likely to suffer from severe complications during
pregnancy and childbirth, may not be sufficiently
emotionally mature to bear the burden of caring
for a child, curtail education and thus opportunities
for decent and productive employment.

4.7 -

SDG Target

By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire

the knowledge and skills needed to promote
sustainable development, including, among
others, through education for sustainable
development and sustainable lifestyles, human
rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of
peace and nonviolence, global citizenship and
appreciation of cultural diversity and of cultures
contribution to sustainable development.

What Sri Lanka Wants

Updating of currently existing guidelines
on providing basic reproductive health
education to include age appropriate
comprehensive sexuality education.

Development of programmes for capacity

building on sexual and reproductive health
and rights at a national level targeting
general public, teachers, principals,
health service providers and adolescents
themselves.
Development of monitoring mechanisms in
public and private schools to monitor life skills
education and track public expenditure and
progress.

Photo : Sharni Jayawardena

OCTOBER 2016
Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

31 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Vap Full Moon Poya Day

Deepavali Festival Day

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

Current Reality
According to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign
Employment, female migration for employment
was 49.7% for 2012. Out of a total of 138,547
women migrants, 118,235 women migrated for
employment as housemaids. With the exception
of Italy, there are no bilateral agreements that
ensure the protection of migrant worker rights at
the government levels. Further, almost none of
the destination countries are signatories to key
UN/ILO conventions that are binding to ensure
the rights of migrant workers. Sri Lankan missions
in these destination countries lack adequate
services and provide insufficient support to those
who seek assistance. Current restrictions banning
overseas migration of women with children under
the age of 5 is impacting not only on womens
right to mobility to paid work, it also strengthens
discriminatory practices where men as fathers
are perceived to have little or no responsibility or
accountability towards the children.

8.8 -

SDG Target

Protect labour rights and promote

safe and secure working environments for
all workers, including migrant workers,
in particular women migrants,
and those in precarious employment.

What Sri Lanka Wants

Policy reform in areas such as employment

agreements, supportive regulations for
womens employment migration,
worker information and protection.
Development of effective reintegration
services to enable families of returnee
women migrants to respect and to recognise
the critical role of these women in the
family and in society.
Promote positive media time for men/fathers
who bear familial responsibility instead of
men/fathers as perpetrators of violence.

Photo : Sepali Kottegoda

NOVEMBER 2016
Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat Sun

1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30
Il Full Moon Poya Day

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

Current Reality
Violence against women (VAW) is
widespread and increasing in Sri Lanka
and the measures taken to prevent and
redress, remain insufficient. Incidences of
VAW in the country range from rape, sexual
harassment, domestic violence, incest, child
abuse, assault, obscenity against women,
perverted acts, forced prostitution and
pornography, and media violence prevail
in the private and public sphere.

5.2 -

SDG Target

Eliminate all forms of violence

against all women and girls in the public
and private spheres, including trafficking
and sexual and other types of exploitation.

What Sri Lanka Wants

Work towards zero tolerance on violence

against women.
Introduce long term programmes to
dispel norms and attitudes that are based
on perceptions of the subordination of
women to men.
Provision of financial and human
resource assistance to women who
seek legal redress for violence and
discrimination.
Adoption and implementation of a
multi-sector approach from State,
non-government sector and civil society
to address preventive measures and
provide redress for victims.
Strengthening of implementation
mechanisms of laws and regulations
for prevention and response to Gender
Based Violence.

Photo : Evangeline de Silva

DECEMBER 2016
Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat Sun

1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31

Milad-Un-Nabi
(Holy Prophets Birthday)

Current Reality
In Sri Lanka, a significant proportion of
households are found in Colombo and other
urban centres as low-income settlements.
Some settlements are estimated to have
over 50% of female headed households
although social norms and practices point
to the male as the head of the household
and often considered entitled to ownership
of housing provided by the state. The reality
is that the majority of these families are
supported and maintained by the wages
of women who have to face the daily
challenges such as lack of/poor sanitation
and problems of garbage disposal that
have a significant impact on the health of
their families. These issues surface also in poor
fishing communities, the plantations and in
disadvantaged rural communities. Although
women are the major users of housing and
bear the burden of maintenance of their
homes, they are routinely excluded from
housing processes, from planning, design,
construction and ownership.

Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day

11.1 -

SDG Target

By 2030, ensure access for all to

adequate, safe and affordable housing
and basic services and upgrade slums.

Christmas Day

Poya Day
Public & Bank Holiday
Merchantile Holiday

What Sri Lanka Wants

Involvement of women in all low-income

housing development and improvement
programmes and policies.
Regulations and laws in place to ensure
womens right to ownership of housing
provided by the State.
Provision of customized housing services in
plantation and estate sector settlements.