[sacw] New Book: Gender Violence in Sri Lanka

[Harsh Kapoor]

FYI
Harsh Kapoor
-------------------

New Book
Gender Violence in Sri Lanka:
>From Rights and Shame to Remedies and Change

By: Shyamala Gomez & Mario Gomez

'Gender Violence in Sri Lanka: From Rights and Shame to Remedies and
Change', a new book on the law's response to violence against women, was
launched in Colombo on December 13th 1999.

Violence against women has at last emerged as a 'public issue'. For many
years women were forced to suffer as men considered it their right to abuse
and harass women. In 1995, Sri Lanka changed its criminal law to address
some of the problems of violence against women. New offences like sexual
harassment were introduced and the sentences for crimes like rape were
enhanced. Despite these changes, police insensitivity and a lack of
awareness among women, have not made the law as effective as it should be.

'From Rights and Shame to Remedies and Change' looks at how the Sri Lankan
legal system has responded to violence against women. It examines three
broad areas of the law: the constitutional framework, the criminal justice
system and judicial attitudes to women victims of violence. It also
discusses some of the international and comparative law on the subject. The
book has been authored by Shyamala Gomez and Mario Gomez, who teach at the
University of Colombo.

The book was published by the Canadian International Development Agency's
(CIDA's) Shakti Gender Equity Project.

Copies of the book could be obtained

Shakti Gender Equity Project
12 Amerasekera Mawatha
Colombo 5
Sri Lanka

Tel: (94 1) 502640/1/4
Fax: (94 1) 502643