Sri Lanka: Take immediate steps to reform the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) – Civil Society Statement

06^th August, 2019.

Civil Society Statement in support of Reforming the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act

We, the undersigned civil society organisations and individuals urge the Government of Sri Lanka to take immediate steps to reform the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA). The failure to reform the MMDA has been a long-standing issue that successive governments have not addressed, and this has had a dire impact on the Muslim community, in particular women and children. In taking this process forward, the Sri Lankan State will finally ensure greater protection and equality for the Muslim citizens of this country.

The MMDA as it currently stands has a number of drawbacks, particularly those relating to the age of marriage, the lack of mutual consent for marriage and divorce, and the serious limitations of the existing Quazi court system. Failure to address these problems places women in a vulnerable position and undercuts their right to equality as guaranteed by the Constitution of Sri Lanka. In other countries that have personal law systems similar to the MMDA, there have been efforts to reform such laws. Countries ranging from Afghanistan to Malaysia have taken measures to amend existing provisions, such as increasing the age of marriage and appointing female Quazis. Yet, in post-independence Sri Lanka, there has been no such progress.

The call for reforms has been longstanding. For at least thirty years, Muslim women’s groups and academics have advocated for both partial and comprehensive reforms. Successive governments appointed at least five different committees but the State failed to take action. The last committee, appointed in 2009, headed by Justice Saleem Marsoof carried out consultations for 9 years before presenting their findings and recommendations in early 2018. In July 2019, in a salutary move, the Muslim Members of Parliament agreed on 14 recommendations towards reform but once again it appears that there are moves to stymie reform.

The Government needs to urgently take action to address the repeated failure of the Sri Lankan State to protect the Muslim women and children. While there are differing views within the Muslim community, including among religious leaders and Islamic scholars, the State’s responsibility to protect all its citizens equally must be upheld. It is essential that the government acts decisively and forthwith to reform the laws that discriminate women from men. In pushing forward on the demands for reform of the MMDA, the Government and the Parliament will better ensure greater equality and justice for the people of this country.

Signatories;

Individuals

1. Alagurajah Prasanjali
2. Amalini de Sayrah
3. Ananda Galappatti
4. Anithra Varia
5. Annemari de Silva
6. Anuratha Rajaretnam
7. Anushaya Collure
8. Ashila Dandeniya
9. Ashwiny Balakirushnaraja
10. Asoka Obeyesekere
11. Gowthaman
12. Barathithasan Niroshini
13. Bhavani Fonseka
14. Buddhima Padmasiri
15. Ranitha Gnanarajah – Attorney-at-Law
16. Cayathri Divakalala – Researcher
17. Channaka Jayasinghe
18. Chintaka Rajapakse
19. Chiranthi Mallikarachchi – Fashion Designer
20. Chulani Kodikara
21. Damaris Wickremesekera
22. Danesh Casie Chetty
23. Deanne Uyangoda
24. Deborah Philip
25. Deekshya Illangasinghe
26. Dharshanie Alles, SFO
27. Dilrukshi Handunneetti – Lawyer and Journalist
28. Dinushika Dissanayake – Attorney-at-Law
29. Anupama Ranawana – Independent Researcher
30. Arani Poravi Nadarajah
31. G. Usvatte-aratchi
32. Harini Amarasuriya
33. Jehan Perera
34. Karthika Thiruchelvarajan
35. Kaushalya Perera – University of Colombo
36. Maheedaran Mahalingam
37. P. Saravanamuttu
38. Pamela Thirugnanam
39. Pavithra Kailasapathy
40. Selvanayagam Vijayanayagam
41. Setunga Mudalige Philip
42. Subathra Udayakumar
43. Sumangali Perera
44. Thiru Karthikeyan
45. Thuvarakah Kanagaratnam
46. Tush Wickramanayaka
47. W.N.U.R. Karunadasa
48. M. Bandara Menike – President, Women’s Development Foundation
49. Easwary Sritharan
50. Emil van der Poorten – In defence of civil rights
51. Ephraim Shadrach
52. Eranga Gunsekara
53. Francis Costa Priyankara – Human Rights Activist
54. Francis Raajan
55. S Lakshan J.S. Dias – Attorney-at-Law
56. Gamini Viyangoda – Purawesi Balaya
57. Ganeshananthan Kiritharan
58. Gaya Nagahawatta
59. Geethika Dharmasinghe
60. Gnanaharan Saravanapavananthan
61. Godfrey Malarnesan
62. Godfrey Yogarajah
63. Gunasingham Kumanan
64. Hans Billimoria – The Grassrooted Trust
65. Immanuel Kitnan
66. Iromi Perera
67. Ishara Danasekara – vikalpa.org
68. Ithayarani Sithravel
69. Jake Oorloff
70. Janan Sinduja
71. Janaha Selvaras
72. Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala
73. Jayathilake Kammallaweera – Author
74. Joanne Senn
75. Joe William
76. S. Ratnavale – Attorney-at-Law
77. Kalani Subasinghe
78. Kanchuka Dharmasiri
79. Kamani Jinadasa – Women’s Rights Activist
80. Karuppaiya Sathiyaseelan
81. Kathirkamar Hemalatha
82. Kaushalya Fernando – Actress
83. Kaushalya Herath
84. Kayalvili Gnanasegaran
85. Keerthi Welisarage – Author
86. Kumudini Samuel
87. Kurukularasa Janan
88. Lakmali Hemachandra
89. Linosha Krishnakumar
90. Lucille Abeykoon
91. Mahaluxmy Kurushanthan
92. Mahendran Nirosha
93. Mahendran Thiruvarangan – Lecturer (Probationary) in English Literature, University of Jaffna
94. Manel Fonseka
95. Mangaleswary Shanker – Attorney-at-Law
96. Marini de Livera
97. Mario Gomez
98. Marisa de Silva
99. Mariyarosari Siva
100. Mohan Nagarajah
101. Murukaiya Sivasuthan
102. Muthucumaran Sugirtharan
103. Nadie Kammallaweera
104. Navaratnam Narmatha
105. Nilshan Fonseka
106. Nirmala Mahenthiran
107. Niventhini Sadikanth
108. Narasingham
109. Paba Deshapriya – Sanwedi Sri Lanka
110. Paramasivum Muralitharan
111. Pasan Jayasinghe
112. Piyal Kariyawasam
113. Priyalal Sirisena – Attorney-at-Law
114. Arjuna Aluwihare
115. Arjuna Parakrama
116. Camena Guneratne
117. Carmen Wickramagamage
118. Harendra De Silva
119. Jayantha Seneviratne
120. Kumari Jayawardena
121. Neloufer de Mel
122. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole
123. Savitri Goonesekere – Emeritus Professor of Law and Former Vice Chancellor, University of Colombo

124. Sitralega Maunaguru
125. Sutharsan Somasundaram – Eastern University Sri Lanka
126. Puvanesasingham Jeevithan
127. Radhika Coomaraswamy
128. Rajany Rajeswary
129. Ramya Chamalie Jirasinghe – Country Coordinator, Kindernothilfe
130. Rathika Ariyakumar
131. Rathnapillai Thavaselvi
132. Dr. Jayasiri Peiris
133. Fr. F. J. G. Croos (Nehru)
134. Fr. Joseph Jeyaseelan, CMF
135. Fr. Nandana Manatunga
136. Fr. Oswald Firth – People’s Association for Peace and Development

137. Fr. Samuel J. Ponniah – Archdeacon of Jaffna
138. Fr. V. Yogeswaran
139. Saman Perera – Samadana/m
140. Sr. Eymard Marie Fernando
141. Sr. Nichola SCJM
142. Rishani Wijesinghe
143. Roshni de Fonseka
144. Ruki Fernando
145. Ruwanthie de Chickera – Theatre Artist
146. Sakthidasan Saktheeswaran
147. Sakuntala Kadirgamar
148. Sampath Samarakoon – Editor – vikalpa.org
149. Sandun Thudugala
150. Sandya Ekneligoda
151. Sanjayan Rajasingham
152. Sarah Arumugam
153. Sarah Soysa
154. Sarala Emmanuel – Researcher and Visiting Lecturer Open University, Batticaloa Branch

155. Sarvam Kailasapathy
156. Selvanathan Tharshan
157. Selvaraja Rajasegar
158. Selvarasa Thileepan
159. Shamini Vibulan
160. Shanthi Dias
161. Sharmaine Guneratne
162. Sheila Richards
163. Shiranee Mills
164. Shyamala Gomez
165. Shyamala Sivagurunathan
166. Sinnathurai Ketheswary
167. Sinthuka Vivekanthan
168. Sounthararajan Eswary
169. Subha Wijesiriwardena
170. Sudhagaran Rajitha
171. Sudharshini Susmitha Pathmanathan
172. Sumathy Sivamohan – University of Peradeniya
173. Sunanda Deshapriya – Editor – Sri Lanka Brief
174. Suren Perera – Attorney-at-Law
175. Swasthika Arulingam
176. Tanuja Thurairajah
177. Tehani Ariyaratne
178. Thambirajah Kalaivani
179. Thanaraj Thilakeshwary
180. Tharmika Sivarajah
181. Thayalini Jegatheesan
182. Thiyagaraja Waradas – University of Colombo
183. Thrashini Somasekaram
184. Thurka Jeyachanthiran
185. Uda Deshapriya – Attorney-at-Law
186. Udan Fenando
187. Udaya Kalupathirana
188. Valarmathy Thushikaran
189. Vanie Simon
190. Vanitha Mahendran
191. Vasuki Jeyasankar – Artist and Women’s Rights Activist
192. Venuri Perera
193. Vidura Prabath Munasinghe
194. Vimukthi De Silva
195. Visaka Dharmadasa
196. Vraie Cally Balthazaar
197. Yalini Loganath

Organisations

198. Affected Women’s Forum (AWF), Ampara
199. Alliance Development Trust (ADT)
200. Association of War Affected Women (AWAW)
201. Centre for Equality and Justice (CEJ)
202. Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD)
203. Centre for Justice and Change (CJC)
204. Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA)
205. Community Welfare and Development Fund
206. Human Rights Office (HRO), Kandy
207. INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre
208. International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES)
209. Law and Society Trust (LST)
210. Liberation Movement (LM)
211. Maatram Foundation
212. Mannar Women’s Development Federation (MWDF)
213. Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR)
214. National Peace Council (NPC)
215. People’s Alliance for Right to Land (PARL)
216. Praja Abhilasha Joining Hands Network
217. Rural Development Foundation
218. Sisters at Law
219. StandUp Movement Lanka
220. Stop Child Cruelty Trust
221. Social Scientist Association
222. Suriya Women’s Development Centre, Batticaloa
223. The Institute of Social Development (ISD)
224. Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL)
225. Vallamai – Moment for Social Change, Jaffna
226. Women and Media Collective (WMC)
227. Women Education and Research Centre (WERC)