10 September 2026

Press Release

Representatives of KELEER (Hear our Voices) – Forum for Gender-Just Family Law and Legal Practices and the Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum (MWRAF) met with members of the Caucus of Women Parliamentarians in Parliament today, 10th September 2026, to raise longstanding concerns affecting women’s access to justice, protection from violence, family law rights and economic security.

The meeting brought together the voices of 20 lawyers, women activists, researchers and survivors from 10 districts, who presented their long-overdue demands that women have been raising for many decades.

The groups called on the Women’s Caucus to take forward a collective parliamentary commitment to “Justice Within the Family” and to advance concrete legal, institutional and social protection reforms that respond to women’s lived realities.

For many women, the family is not always a place of safety, equality and security. Gaps in family law and justice mechanisms can leave women facing prolonged legal processes, inadequate maintenance, difficulties in accessing property and economic rights, and inadequate protection from violence. Women may spend months or years navigating courts, police stations, counselling processes and other institutions while continuing to face economic and social pressures.

“Justice within the family is not a private matter. It is a matter of rights, equality and access to justice,” the groups said.

The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus unanimously acknowledged that Sri Lanka’s existing family laws contain serious gaps and that these gaps continue to affect women and children. Members noted that these concerns are not new: they have been raised over many years, including through discussions within their own constituencies. There was broad agreement that Sri Lanka needs a modern legal framework that better responds to the realities faced by women and children.

KELEER and MWRAF presented their advocacy and reform proposals to the Women’s Caucus and called for parliamentary action on four key areas of legal reform: the Matrimonial Causes Bill, General Marriage Ordinance Amendment Bill, Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act Amendment Bill, and Prevention of Domestic Violence Amendment Bill.

Following the discussion, the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus made three specific commitments.

First, the Caucus committed to finding out what is causing the delays by establishing the current status of the four proposed family law Bills, where each Bill is being held up, and the reasons for the delays.

Second, the Caucus committed to identifying what is needed to move the Bills forward, including the steps, decisions or interventions required for the four Bills to progress and ultimately be presented to Parliament.

Third, the Caucus committed to continuing to monitor and raise the issue, following the progress of the Bills and continuing to raise the issue so that identified delays and obstacles are addressed.

The women’s groups stressed that the meeting did not result in a commitment that the four Bills would be passed within a particular timeframe. Rather, the commitment was to investigate the delays, identify what needs to happen next, and continue following up to move the process forward.

“We asked for a clear time frame as we have been waiting for many years for equality and justice.”

The groups also called for longer-term institutional and social protection measures, including the establishment of family courts, state support for survivors of gender-based violence, strengthened social protection for women, and recognition of unpaid care work.

The groups further proposed that the Women’s Caucus launch a collective commitment to “Justice Within the Family” during the upcoming 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, demonstrating a clear parliamentary commitment to women’s safety, dignity and access to justice.

The Women’s Declaration: Family Law and Practice in Sri Lanka, developed by the KELEER Forum and launched in September 2025, was also highlighted at the meeting. The Declaration was endorsed by 16 organizations and 80 individuals across Sri Lanka and calls for family law and justice systems that enable women and girls to live with equality, dignity, safety and justice within their families and communities.

The women’s groups stressed that Sri Lanka has an important opportunity to address long-pending reforms that directly affect women’s everyday lives. They emphasized that the voices presented at the meeting represent demands that have been raised by women, lawyers, activists, researchers and survivors for many years.

“Family law must reflect women’s lived realities. Justice must be accessible, timely and meaningful,” they said.
KELEER and MWRAF called on the Caucus of Women Parliamentarians to turn the commitment to “Justice Within the Family” into concrete parliamentary action, sustained monitoring and measurable progress on legal, institutional and social reforms.

KELEER – Forum for Gender-Just Family Law and Legal Practices
Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum (MWRAF)