{"id":49326,"date":"2016-10-31T15:08:33","date_gmt":"2016-10-31T19:08:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=49326"},"modified":"2016-10-31T15:08:33","modified_gmt":"2016-10-31T19:08:33","slug":"european-union-envoys-on-womens-rights-kumar-sangakkara-and-mahela-jayawardene-support-creating-awareness-about-violence-against-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=49326","title":{"rendered":"European Union Envoys on Women’s Rights Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene Support Creating Awareness about Violence against Women."},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

Shehan Daniel<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two of Sri Lanka\u2019s most celebrated cricketing legends on Thursday pledged their support towards creating awareness on violence against women in the country, partnering with the delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. <\/p>\n

Former skippers of the national cricket team Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara who are also actively involved in Trail \u2013 the ongoing walk which spans the length of Sri Lanka and aims to raise awareness on cancer and collect funds for its treatment \u2013 were introduced as EU Envoys on Women\u2019s Rights and were both unequivocal in condemning gender-based violence; also calling for a change in attitudes towards women and their role in society.<\/p>\n

They will be involved in an initial media campaign, which will include the filming of a video highlighting the issue of gender violence, to be launched on the international day for the Elimination of Violence against Women which falls on November 25. <\/p>\n

Sangakkara said their role in this partnership was to bring these concerns to light and to create a platform to address them. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point is to ensure the voices are heard. When it happens so, people will take notice and sketch out how to resolve the matter. So our task is basically to start it off, by also being an integral part of these conversations and a part of this movement for change, which is vital for Sri Lanka at the moment. If we\u2019re to build a better nation, there needs to be social progress, and that has to start with the change of mindset, attitude and perceptions. Thus, we need to make certain there will be mechanisms put in place to guarantee the upliftment of the status of women in the Sri Lankan context,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that despite Sri Lanka being the first country in the world to have a female Prime Minister and also a female President, it had failed to progress as a nation where women secure the same place as men.
\n\u201cWe need to recognize the pivotal role played by women. Although they have achieved equal access to state education, they have low representation in parliament, provincial bodies and local councils. We see a large number of women in the tea industry that hold trade union membership, but there is less than one per cent of them in decision-making capacities. Worst is when it comes to violence against women where the numbers are shocking. A number of men believe there are situations where harassing women is acceptable. What is even more shocking is that, because the Sri Lankan society is conditioned, a majority of women themselves believe that there are occasions that warrant violence against women. We need to change fundamentals of our perceptions \u2013 how we see each other and how we see ourselves,\u201d Sangakkara said. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Jayawardene asserted the need to create awareness on this alarming condition from a young age targeting the schooling system. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think we need to give some thought on this as the school system is one area we could actually be mobile and find means to reach out to our objective. We should make them understand and respect different genders. We need to make people earn respect by cultivating in them good moral values, thereby making them practice a system where they respect people irrespective of their colour, religion, race or gender. That\u2019s something we need to nurture,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

He also said the culture at workplaces, where men abuse women not by mere actions but also words, needed to be stopped forthwith, and that freedom to express those incidents was essential. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnother aspect we need to look at is the independence of women. We should create a conducive environment where they could show up and express themselves. To bring to the attention of the relevant authorities that they\u2019re being harassed in office spaces or at home, and let the law do justice. I think the most difficult thing than violence is mental abuse. At workplaces, there have been instances where women have been mentally harassed, either by the use of foul language, or by passing on various other comments degrading and tarnishing their image. That\u2019s another grey area we need to shed light upon. We have to make people understand that everyone should be treated equally and that everyone has the same rights. We\u2019re very delighted to be a part of this movement with the EU delegation, and we will strive and sacrifice our time to take the message across for the betterment of our nation,\u201d Jayawardene added.
\nCultural norms were also responsible for these conditions and issues faced by women, they both claimed \u2013 including where women tolerate abuse for the sake of their families. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re so conditioned from a very young age to basically sweep things under the carpet and say \u201cwell, they\u2019re not that bad\u201d or \u201cwe\u2019re at least not as bad as other countries.\u201d We don\u2019t want to accept the fact that things are bad and bleak, and there are means to find solutions to it and ways to progress. Maybe we can start by clearly outlining what physical and mental abuse is, and that (resources) are available to encourage both women and men in partnership to embrace change. <\/p>\n

If you happen to be a man, then stand up against violence against women. And for women to fathom that, don\u2019t accept the (norm) as a majority believe you have to keep the family together and then women think that it is solely their responsibility \u2013 and society too passes that burden on to her. So they go back to an abusive relationship. I think there should be avenues where that kind of stigma, social pressure and burden is taken away from her,\u201d Sangakkara said, while Jayawardene added that prolonged mental abuse too needed to be a key consideration. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think even the simple fact that the lady in a household gets up at four o\u2019clock in the morning all the time and prepares three meals is mental abuse. You cannot repeat that act day in and day out for so many years. It\u2019s just impossible. And on top of that, sometimes they are working mothers, and at times they have to still do that job. So, that\u2019s being embedded in our society, our culture \u2013 that it is the job of women of the house. Which is not, and shouldn\u2019t be so. That is something we need to educate and say, \u201cno you don\u2019t have to do that\u201d and it\u2019s about time women also take a stand. I don\u2019t think us talking (about it) here alone is going to matter. It\u2019s about the women stepping out and saying enough is enough. And then the authorities will pay heed and ensure those regulations are put into place,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Jayawardene added that right awareness could also help solve other social issues. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are plenty of avenues we could look at improving the awareness that it is an equal society, and that it\u2019s not just gender but anything \u2013 race, colour, religion, background, what job your father or mother does, which part of the country you\u2019re from \u2013 all these are concerns we need to address and we need to be open about it. And the sooner we address them, we will create a better society and better culture for our kids to grow up,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, EU Councilor Paul Godfrey who emphasized the extent of violence against women in the Sri Lankan society said their partnership with the two cricketers would help shed light on the issue which would facilitate in initiating conversations in addressing these problems. <\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, violence against women is a very serious and deep-seated problem in Sri Lanka. It\u2019s estimated that 60% of Sri Lankan women suffer from violence in their own homes, families and communities. This is a tragic state of affairs and a situation that is significantly worse than many other countries. It is a concern that hasn\u2019t had the ability to voice in public. It has been a taboo issue and one of the most important things (through Jayawardana\u2019s and Sangakkara\u2019s involvement) is to actually shine a light on, so that we can have a situation where people are beginning to talk about these issues, realizing and addressing the problem. It shouldn\u2019t\u2019 be something that is hidden away. It\u2019s a shame that they do. It\u2019s not the victims but the abusers who should have that shame,\u201d Councilor Godfrey said. <\/p>\n

Courtesy:Daily Mirror<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Shehan Daniel Two of Sri Lanka\u2019s most celebrated cricketing legends on Thursday pledged their support towards creating awareness on violence against women in the country, partnering with the delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Former skippers of the national cricket team Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara who are also …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘European Union Envoys on Women’s Rights Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene Support Creating Awareness about Violence against Women.’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49326"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49326"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49327,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49326\/revisions\/49327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}