Women’s Public Participation: Obstacles in Focus
South Asian Women in Media – Sri Lanka (SAWM-SL), in collaboration with the Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA), Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka (EGSL), and the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), have invited media organisations to cover a special event commemorating International Women’s Day 2025.
This event, scheduled for March 12 at the SLPI auditorium, aims to enhance media engagement with women in politics.
It will provide a crucial platform for discussions on the challenges and opportunities associated with women’s political participation and the media’s role in shaping narratives.
The event will feature esteemed speakers, including Chulani Kodikara, a researcher at the Social Scientists’ Association and co-editor of Polity; Lakmali Hemachandra, a Member of Parliament from the National People’s Party (NPP); Saritha Irugalbandara, a digital rights researcher and activist; Swasthika Arulingam, the President of the United Federation of Labour and an attorney-at-law; Manjula Gajanayake, the Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES); D.P.N. Attygalle, the Deputy Commissioner of Elections; K.W. Janaranjana, the editor of Anidda Newspaper and a representative of the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka; Rohini Kaviratne, a Member of Parliament from the Sri Lanka Jana Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (SJB); and Tharindu Uduwaragedara, a journalist and the National Organizer of the Federation of Media Employees Trade Unions (FMTU).
While Sri Lanka’s current parliament has witnessed a historic surge in women’s representation, with women now holding a significant 9.8 percent of parliamentary seats, they still face underrepresentation in decision-making positions. Moreover, targeted attacks on women politicians, both online and through media narratives, continue to escalate.
This event seeks to address these challenges by promoting a more responsible approach to media coverage of women in politics.
It aims to identify obstacles to women’s participation in public life and encourage meaningful engagement to support women leaders.
The event will be held on March 12 at the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) auditorium.