Photovoice as a Method for Understanding Inclusive Infrastructure: Lessons from Sri LankaBy: Shashini Gamage
Bilateral Labour Agreements Re-Examined from a Gender Perspective: An Interdisciplinary and Intersectional FrameworkBy: Nicola Piper
Bilateral Labour Agreements Between Sri Lanka and Other Jurisdictions: A Critical Legal AnalysisBy: Wasantha Seneviratne, Darshana Sumanadasa, Akalanka Thilakarathna and Ranuli Senaratne
Survey on Returnee Migrant Workers in Sri Lanka: A Gendered Analysis of Living and Working Conditions and Institutional Support MechanismsBy: Anoji Ekanayake, Kopalapillai Amirthalingam, Nicola Piper and Sunethra Perera
Planned relocations in the context of natural disasters: The case of Sri LankaBy: Ranmini Vithanagama, Alikhan Mohideen, Danesh Jayatilaka and Rajith Lakshman
Impact of Displacement on Dowries in Sri LankaBy: Danesh Jayatilaka and Kopalapillai Amirthalingam
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Photovoice was implemented as a visual data gathering and storytelling method in two field sites as a component of the qualitative methodology of the Inclusive Urban Infrastructure (IUI) project conducted in Sri Lanka. The method was implemented in Sarnia Estate, Badulla, and Nawagampura, Colombo. The implementation of the method, which included training, photographing, interviewing, and perspective-taking workshops, was carried out from October 2022 to February 2023. The objective was to devise the photovoice method as a participatory and community-engaging method of visual storytelling, enabling potential interventions in the locations.
Bilateral labour agreements (BLAs) have become states’ preferred options as tools of migration governance to maintain orderly and regular flows of temporary labour migration. Yet, such instruments remain largely gender-blind and neglect human rights concerns. It is vital that the study and analysis of BLAs employs a gender lens that draws from interdisciplinary insights on gendered governance generated by feminist scholarship ranging from legal and policy studies, global political economy, and international relations to political sociology derived from various and mixed methodologies. Insights on the gender effects of BLAs should be the outcome of research on migration governance not only ‘from above’ but also ‘from below’.
Migration in search of employment has become a common occurrence in the contemporary world, and many countries search for cheap labour from workers migrating particularly from developing and underdeveloped countries. This paper analyses the provisions of selected Bilateral Labor Agreements in light of international human rights and other relevant treaties adopted by the International Labour Organization, and briefly discusses the applicability of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals and targets under the UN 2030 Agenda. This is a qualitative research that followed the method of content analysis of those BLAs, mainly using secondary data along with comparative examples. Findings reveal that selected BLAs are not providing the expected protection to migrant workers and are not fully in compliance with the international obligations of Sri Lanka under international human rights and labour rights instruments.
The report presents the preliminary results of a survey of returnee migrant workers conducted in May 2022 in the Western and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. The primary objective of the survey was to examine the living and working conditions of Sri Lankan migrant workers in their host countries and the institutional support mechanisms in place to support them. The survey is part of a broader study that aims to ascertain whether migration along corridors regulated via bilateral labour agreements had positively affected the experiences of migrants, with a particular focus on differences by gender. In order to reflect this objective, the survey also sought to determine whether there are differences in the experiences of male and female migrant workers concerning the living and working conditions and the institutional support available.
Displacement due to disaster has multiple repercussions on victims, including on stakeholders who are drawn to the situation. While short term effects tend to receive much attention, the same cannot be said of long term concerns. While safety is a primary concern in a resettlement agenda, victims tend to have an array of complex requirements, which may or may not go in tandem with donor and government objectives, and this can lead to varied sentiments regarding the resettlement. This study is an attempt to understand how 10 years after the Tsunami disaster, a selected community in Matara, Sri Lanka, have fared after being resettled and the lessons that can be drawn from the post disaster relocation incident.
Displacement, whether due to conflict, natural disasters or development, not only directly and negatively affects those who are displaced, but also can have far-reaching effects on the culture and society as a whole. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of displacement, caused by both the civil war and the 2004 tsunami - on Sri Lanka's dowry systems - and the subsequent consequences for women's livelihoods, family life and social traditions. While there are existing studies on displacement, gender and dowry systems in Sri Lanka, to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies examining the impact of displacement on dowries in Sri Lanka. This study is an attempt to shed light on this subject.
