During the previous UPR cycle, Sri Lanka received 39 recommendations to strengthen and improve measures regarding women’s rights protection. Of these recommendations, 11 related to preventing and eliminating violence against women; including strengthening efforts to eliminate sexual violence.
During this UPR cycle, Equality Now made two joint submissions:
This submission outlines the challenges in the criminal justice system and the legislation of Sri Lanka in addressing sexual violence crimes and provides recommendations for improving access to justice for sexual violence through improving legislation and criminal justice procedures. Developing effective criminal law mechanisms for the elimination of sexual violence is a fundamental step in achieving substantive and transformative equality for women and girls in Sri Lanka.
Submitted by Equality Now and Centre for Equality and Justice (CEJ)
This submission highlights the need to address female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C); provisions in family laws which are discriminatory against women; and the need for the law to establish a minimum age for marriage within the Muslim community.
Submitted by: Alliance for Minorities, Women’s Action Network, Muslim Women’s Development Trust and Equality Now