Women’s forum calls for minister’s resignation for making sexist comments
Wednesday, 25 December 2013 00:00
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The Sri Lanka Women’s NGO Forum (SLWNGOF) has called for the resignation of Women’s Affairs and Child Development Minister Tissa Karaliyadde for making sexist comments against women in the country.
The forum has noted that the minister had made extremely sexist remarks humiliating Sri Lankan women without any sense of respect for the Cabinet or the office he holds.
“Minister Karaliyadde is clearly unaware that the oath of office he has taken as a Cabinet minister requires him to respect and follow the norms and standards set by our constitution and national laws and international treaties and policies that bind the Sri Lankan State and Government,” the forum told the media at a news briefing.
The minister has been accused of violating Article 12 of Sri Lanka’s Constitution that incorporates standards of gender equality and non-discrimination on the ground of a person’s sex. According to the forum, Sri Lanka is a party to the convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1981. The minister seems to be unaware of the gender equality programs carried out by his ministry to strengthen the capacity of the many community based women’s groups, the NGO said.
The Women’s NGO Forum has urged the President to call for the immediate resignation of Minister Karaliyadde from the office he holds in the Women’s Affairs and Child Development Ministry and appoint a minister who is gender sensitive.
