Image courtesy of Lanka Leader.
In the wake of the sexual assault on a lady doctor at the Anuradhapura Hospital, the NPP women Parliamentarians said that clear and definite standards should be put in place for the police, the judges and the media to handle cases of crimes against women.
In a statement, they said that as a society, everyone needs to approach these crimes with empathy while protecting the privacy of the survivors without adding to their burdens and discouraging women from coming forward to report such incidents and seek justice.
The Statement:
“We request everyone to protect the privacy of the woman involved and refrain from gossiping and sharing misguided theories about such violent crimes. Survivors do not have one-size-fits-all reactions. In order to combat this silent epidemic of violence against women, we must center our justice system on the experience of women who face such situations. Therefore, we urge that necessary reforms to our criminal justice system and media should be made to enhance our institutional capacity to combat violence against women. Clear and definite standards should be put in place for the police, the judges and the media to handle cases of crimes against women,” the statement said.
“The sexual assault on a doctor in the Anuradhapura Hospital has once again sparked a discussion on our collective failure to combat violent crimes against women. While we express our solidarity and empathy with the survivor of this particular incident, we also stress that regardless of the social category or the identity of the victim, our mission should be to dismantle the culture of violence against women.
“Every day we hear of one crime or the other against women, ranging from murder to sexual assault to sexual harassment at a workplace or in cyber space. Hate speech against women is normalized, indicating a deeper problem of a culture of misogyny which builds towards a culture of physical and sexual violence. It is important to understand that often normalized acts of online abuse and verbal harassment are part and parcel of a culture that considers women to be sub-human.
“If we take this particular incident, we notice the same casual misogyny taking over what was initially an empathetic response from all quarters of the society.
“Therefore, as women who have continuously advocated for reforms to support survivors of violence and harassment, we consider it our duty to contribute to the public debate as we strive in our capacities to reform the systems tackling violence and harassment against women.
“We are especially deeply concerned about the publication of the victim’s statement in the media and the lack of sensitivity in our system towards violent crimes against women, which leads to such lapses. The law enforcement authorities and the media must act with sensitivity towards survivors of violence and harassments. In a large number of cases women are discouraged from reporting incidents of violence and harassment to authorities precisely because of the stigma attached to their names from there on. Every survivor has a right to privacy. The judiciary, police and the media must prioritise the privacy and well-being of survivors if we are to encourage reporting of crimes to authorities.
“Often such violations of privacy lead to victim blaming on a large scale, as we see in this case too. Social media chatter about the supposed credibility of the actions of the woman following the crime which creates a culture of shame and self-doubt which prevents women from reporting sexual assault to the authorities,” the statement added.
1 Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education
2. Ms. Hemali Weerasekara, Deputy Chairperson of Committees
3 Ms. Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Minister of Women and Child Affairs
4 Ms. Sagarika Athauda, Attorney-at-Law, Member of Parliament
5 Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, Member of Parliament
6 Ms. Oshani Umanga, Member of Parliament
7 Ms. Krishnan Kalaichelvi, Member of Parliament
8 Ms. Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney-at-Law, Member of Parliament
9 Ms. M.A.C.S. Chathuri Gangani, Member of Parliament
10 Mrs. Nilusha Lakmali Gamage, Member of Parliament
11 Mrs. Samanmali Gunasingha, Member of Parliament
12 Mrs.Thushari Jayasingha, Attorney-at-Law, Member of Parliament
13 Ms. Anushka Thilakarathne Attorney-at-Law, Member of Parliament
14 Ms.A.M.M.M. Rathwaththe, Member of Parliament
15 Ms. Hasara Liyanage, Attorney-at-Law, Member of Parliament
16 Ms. Deepthi Wasalage, Member of Parliament
17 Ms. Hiruni Wijesinghe Attorney-at-Law, Member of Parliament
18 Ms. Ambika Samivel, Member of Parliament
19 Ms. Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney-at-Law, Member of Parliament
20 Ms. Geetha Herath, Attorney-at-Law, Member of Parliament
By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera Daily Mirror