Recent recommendations by Muslim MPs oppose all progressive #MMDAreform reflected in the draft Bill presented by the Ministry of Justice based on the recent report of the 2021 Advisory Committee on MMDA Reforms.
The MPs' positions greatly diminish progress made in recent years
It’s time for state leadership. We must all work to ensure that comprehensive reforms addressing all areas of discrimination are passed and implemented with priority. All women in SL must access the full protection of the law.
@MOJSriLanka@Dr_HariniA@anuradisanayake
At the @womenandmedia 40th year anniversary celebrating collective activism, resistance and resilience platforms Muslim Law Reform in the context of women, identity and politics, MPLRAG's Co-Founder @hyshyama Hamin speaks of the challenges to reforming Muslim family law in SL.
"The current government with a mandate for social justice - must recognise that economic growth and prosperity begins with securing rights within the family...The evidence is clear."
We hope that the Minister of Women and Child Affairs' stated commitment to addressing the concerns raised during this CEDAW review extends to addressing discrimination in personal laws, especially the MMDA.
Following a submission of a shadow report, MPLRAG participated at the 90th CEDAW session, where the UN Committee reviewed Sri Lanka’s report on eliminating discrimination of women. https://t.co/QHorfSTl02. See at 01.54.30
Despite forty years of debate and consultations on MMDA, the State has yet again failed to provide a clear commitment to protect Muslim women and girls and extend constitutional protections to the Muslim community.
There is a real need for political will on law reform concerning children and women in Sri Lanka.
The reforms proposed to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) are in line with Islamic jurisprudence, with constitutional equality for Muslims and prevention of harm.
We urge Minister Paulraj, the Women Parliamentarians' Caucus & Ministry of Justice to concurrently advance the long-overdue comprehensive #MMDAreform to end discrimination and inequality for Muslim women and girls under this archaic colonial law.
@anuradisanayake@Dr_HariniA
We applaud the Women Parliamentarians' Caucus of Sri Lanka, under leadership of Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj, for prioritising law reform relating to children & specifically for calling to enforce a common minimum age of marriage for all communities.
https://t.co/VJiumC16OM
This should apply to all children in the country irrespective of religion and ethnicity. Muslim girls and boys, being citizens of this country, deserve equality and fundamental rights.