Amnesty International would like to bring to your attention a recent report we published on the human rights impacts of Sri Lanka’s economic crisis in advance of the adoption of the List of Issues at the 86th session by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Sri Lanka: “We are near total breakdown”: Protecting the rights to health, food and social security in Sri Lanka’s economic crisis , documents how the crisis has had a catastrophic impact on economic and social rights. There have been serious shortages in food, fuel, medicines, and other essential items. As of June 2022, an estimated 11% of households reported their income had stopped and 62% of households said their income reduced; and as of July, food inflation reached 90.9% on a yearly basis.
This report reflects many of the human rights challenges women and girls in Sri Lanka are facing in the context of the economic crisis today, as illustrated below. This is not an exhaustive list of issues relevant to gender-based discrimination in Sri Lanka, and we will make more detailed submissions in advance of the review.