Lakmali Hemachandra of the National People’s Power (NPP) has expressed concerns over the deep-seated biases within political parties that view women as liabilities rather than capable leaders. Speaking at an event titled ‘Improving Media Engagement with Women in Politics in Sri Lanka’ in Colombo, Hemachandra highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by women in the political arena, including fundraising difficulties and negative media portrayals.

“Women are not considered important or capable of holding power. That is evident when you look at the recent political landscape,” she said, pointing to the systemic barriers that hinder women’s political participation. She also emphasized the detrimental role the media plays in perpetuating these biases, noting, “The way the media represents women in politics is often damaging. Sometimes, it’s even deliberate. This discourages aspiring female politicians, and the media needs to rethink its role.”

Despite these barriers, Hemachandra acknowledged some progress, stating, “There are more women in Parliament now, and they are speaking up. That’s a good sign.” Her comments reflect a cautious optimism about the slow but steady rise of female representation in Sri Lankan politics.

The event, held recently in Colombo, was organized by South Asian Women in Media – Sri Lanka (SAWM-SL), in collaboration with the Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA), The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka (TEGSL), and the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), in observance of International Women’s Day 2025.

During the event, human rights lawyer Swasthika Arulingam also addressed the exclusion of women from political processes. Arulingam pointed out that many political parties still neglect women during campaigns, citing a protest at the Election Commission where women raised a symbolic shoe to call attention to the failure of electoral mechanisms in safeguarding women’s rights.

“The female representation quota is a good step because it has given opportunities to women,” Arulingam noted. “But the problem is that some parties recruit women just to meet this requirement, not because they genuinely believe in their capabilities.”

Arulingam stressed the importance of public engagement and the creation of strong support systems to protect women from harassment in politics. “We can create as many laws as we want, but unless there’s real protection against harassment and abuse, women will continue to struggle in political spaces,” she said.