Feminist Responses.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTERVENTION SERVICES: An Explanatory Mapping 2009-2011, Chulani Kodikara with Thiagi Piyadasa, 2012, Colombo, ICES 2012, p.103
The Law and Beyond: Feminist Responses to Domestic Violence in Sri Lanka
This study which aims to document and analyse responses to domestic violence in Sri Lanka from a feminist perspective will be conducted in two phases:
Phase 1: A nation wide mapping of existing interventions and responses to protect women experiencing domestic violence with a particular focus on counseling and shelters, legal interventions and health sector interventions. This will be done as comprehensively as possible. The mapping will assist in identifying interventions by state and NGO sector, as well as assess the level of concentration of interventions at the district level.
Phase 2: A qualitative study of the initiatives identified in Phase 1 in selected districts. The final selection of the districts will be confirmed following the mapping exercise taking into account the following criteria: urban, rural, war affected and high / low concentration of interventions.
The objectives of the study are :
- To understand qualitatively long term impact on women’s lives and the extent to which oppressive power relations within the family are transformed; (Assess, evaluate and understand the impact of these initiatives in reducing / addressing the problem of domestic violence);
- To assess the distribution of protection initiatives at the district level by NGO /state interventions;
- To identify the gaps / continuing challenges for both NGO and State actors; and
- To contribute towards strengthening linkages between state and non-state players with regard to these issues, and
- To formulate recommendations for the future direction of social and policy initiatives in Sri Lanka.
This study of domestic violence interventions is informed by the understanding that violence against women is a complex phenomenon that takes multiple forms and is rooted in patriarchal power structures, social inequalities and the differing cultural roles of women and men, that preventing and responding to such violence requires a complex and comprehensive approach that intervenes at individual, interpersonal and structural levels. It will also be informed by an understanding that when domestic violence intersects with other forms of disadvantage, particularly class and race/ethnicity, it produces differing experiences of power and powerlessness between and among diverse groups of women and therefore different experiences as well as responses/ resistance to domestic violence.
Principal Researcher : Chulani Kodikara
Research Assistants: Thiagi Piyadasa, Tehani Ariyaratne
Funded by: Women Defining Peace
Period: May 2010 September 2011