In the wake of the execution of Sri Lankan housemaid Rizana Nafeek on 9th February 2013, accused of smothering an infant in her care in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the human rights of migrant workers have come to the forefront of the policy discussion on migration. This article discusses what the next step needs to be in developing a comprehensive governing framework for migrant labour, and argues that collective action is the strongest tool in the arsenal of sending countries in protecting migrant workers.

Marking International Women’s Day 2013 today (8th March), Sunimalee Madurawala writes on the economic costs of Violence Against Women and the urgent need for action in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka made a promise to its women when it became a signatory to the international conventions protecting the rights of women. However this has been left on the backburner for too long and the plight of the country’s women is beginning to exert a very real economic impact on the country as a whole. Policy makers and implementers might find that it is always better to keep a promise, rather than bear the costs of a fall out.

An e-book of the ‘Sri Lanka: State of the Economy 2012’ containing summary information and visuals of the 7 key chapters is now available for free download. This e-book also contains links to a video presentation of the main highlights of the report.

The UNDP recently launched the National Human Development Report 2012 for Sri Lanka recently, and in this video the Lead Author of the report, IPS Research Fellow Dr. Nisha Arunatilake talks about the main issues discussed in it.   IPS undertook extensive research and analysis for the preparation of this report, only the 2nd such [...]

Despite impressive achievements in healthcare in Sri Lanka over the last decades, the emerging trend of rising out of pocket expenditure by individuals needs attention. OOP expenditure on health hits particularly hard on the poor, whose ailments will either remain untreated or end up forcing them and their families into deeper poverty. To mitigate the economic and health impact on household, the most pressing need is to maintain an uninterrupted flow of life-saving essential drugs in government health facilities.