Effect of Unwanted pregnancy on Social behavior of an individual. Many women in this world are intend to get pregnant. Estimated 123 million are succeeded. But, 87 million of those pregnancies are not intended. For some this is a pleasant surprise…

Nalaka Gunawardena, a columnist and a media analyst draws insights into the importance of creating a safer workplace for employees of all genders. Now the traditional gender roles have been abandoned but even so, a smooth transition is yet to reach the workplace.…

“The impact of media is so huge on people’s minds. It ranges from children to adults and it’s in these paces where gender norms and attitudes are reinforced” says the Executive Director of Shanthi Maargam. She further elaborated the importance of having systems…

By: Eastern Social Development Foundation, Batticaloa Gender based violence is a crime which has serious physical, emotional and social consequences. Women and girls in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka suffer from increased vulnerability in the aftermath of war, family…

Why is the media important to facilitate a progressive dialogue around sexual and reproductive health in Sri Lanka? The National Youth Health survey (2013) highlights that 50% of young people in Sri Lanka have limited knowledge about their sexual and reproductive health and rights.…

A 42 years old mother of five children died with her still-born twins early 2019 at Castle Hospital and media published sensationalized reports about the incident. The mother had 14 years old son and two daughters nine and four years old.  Husband of the deceased person blamed medical negligence for the…

As a part of the expert interview series, this week we bring the thoughts of Ms. Shyamala Gomez. Executive Director of center for Equality and Justice. She speaks on sensationalistic journalism in Sri Lanka and the blatant ignorance of crucial issues such as…

"As a demand driven industry, media portrays gender in a rather stereotypically while causing gendered violence that often go unnoticed", says Dr. Jayathilake, a Senior Lecturer in University of Peradeniya. He believes that this vicious cycle of negative gender portrayal should be broken at…

In a society which has shrunk into a small space in the globe, thanks to ‘globalization’, the ‘media’ has assumed a broadly defined and yet a critical role, to investigate and disseminate useful information to its audience. In this backdrop it becomes timely…

Kabilan Suntharamoorthy, a young lecturer at University of Jaffna was one of the two Sri Lankan young leaders to represent the country at the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2018.   Kabilan is a passionate volunteer and the founder of ‘Aathmaa Centre for Goodness’ – an organization…

On of the objectives of the National Youth Policy 2014 is to mobilize youth to engage in national reconstruction, reconciliation and development. SDJF together with UNFPA provided the ivoice platform to empower youth participation in community development.  Here is a look back at the journey…

Women all over the world have strived hard to break the gender barrier and stereotypes to become whom they are today. While we read success stories of women leaders and entrepreneurs, we often miss to see ordinary women who have also broken the shackles and come…

Stepping in to reality  - Heavy burden of duties, responsibilities and family responsibilities on a university student after graduation and stepping in to the society. A cartoon created by Sajan Jelantith at the 'iVoice' cartoon workshop 2017.    …

Gender Equality is now a hot topic around the globe. Every development project now has identified Gender Equality as an important part of the development process. Even in Sustainable Development Goals 2030 agenda, under goal number 06 they have identified the importance of Gender Equality, In order…

Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum (SDJF) wishes all the women a Happy Women’s Day. One of the objectives at SDJF is to capacitate excluded community – children, youth, women and marginalized groups, to amplify their voices in the democratization process. On this day, let us make…

In a world where social media overpowers all other elements, traditional learning methods face a serious challenge. A cartoon created by Rilwan Abdeen at the 'iVoice' cartoon workshop held in 2017.

"While ‘Unnatural deaths’ is the term used, I urge that we use more direct terminology such as ‘Death by Violence’. Let us not sugarcoat this grave issue,"  Emeritus Professor of Law, Savitri Goonesekere said addressing a panel discussion held in Colombo on 5th March 2018 after the launch of study on Unnatural…

What can be more powerful than a woman’s smile? Behind her smile, there is an untold story, unexpressed sorrow, unspoken words, violence, discrimination etc. But, they choose to smile. Every woman is strong and positive by heart. Their courage to smile even when they…

Statistics suggest that in 2016, there were 51.89 % female population in Sri Lanka. How many women do we come across each day? Women are everywhere. We keep speaking to and about them. But how many of us are really fighting for women's rights, women’s voices…

  Losing the gentle giant As a result of this unending poaching that happened in the recent past, Sri Lanka lost many such gentle giants. The loss is not just for us…

If you ever wonder how to lead a happy life amid all challenges and negativity, look at each and every woman. Every woman in this society undergoes harassment, stress, negativity, insult, violence and discrimination. Yet, they choose to rise and shine. These pictures taken by Kirishanth…

   Unite youth towards a drug free society! (A cartoon created by Nirasha Sewwandi at the 'iVoice' cartoon workshop 2017.)

E - learning : The quickest to achieve your learning goals. A cartoon by Ravindu Dhananjith created at the 'iVoice' cartoon workshop 2017.