Human rights is one of the key priority areas of the ESDF. We have been focusing on women's rights, minority freedom, and transitional justice of the victims of ethnic conflict under the human rights thematic area. On the other hand, we are promoting and protecting social, economic, political and cultural rights of women in the post war situation of Sri Lanka.
The ESDF has been promoting civic education among minority communities, vulnerable populations and victims of human rights violations to empower them and make them aware about their rights and freedoms as a rightsholder. At the same time, educate them to stand up for their rights and claim justice for their human rights violations and raise their voices against such violations.
Furthermore, we provide support for those who want to pursue legal action against human rights violations. We monitor and document human rights violations, address human rights violations and advocate laws reform and access to justice mechanisms at the domestic and international levels.
Gender equality and women empowerment are the main pillar of the ESDF’s interventions. The ESDF has been working on gender theme since its inception and we have been working with various women groups including women-headed households, female victims of sexual and gender based violence, women with disabilities, women farmers, women in informal business sector, women in local politics, women human rights defenders, women journalists and so on, with the goal of empowering women and increasing their active participation with the role of influential leaders in decision-making process of social, economical and political streams as well as ensuring equal access and opportunities for women at all levels.
Meanwhile, the ESDF has been addressing gender unequal practices and structures of the state and community institutions as well as gender discriminatory policies and laws. On the other side, with the combined effort of women's groups, the ESDF is promoting gender equality via policy formulation, institutional development and capacity building of duty bearers at the local and national level.
Furthermore, forming women’s movements and engage them to collectively raise their voices against sexual and gender based violence and gender discrimination through advocacy actions and community campaigns.
ESDF has been strengthening democratic values and good governance principles among the public and judicial institutions with the focus of building strong institutions to access and claim equal justice and effective public services particularly for vulnerable and marginalized women and the minority groups.
Therefore, ESDF has been working with public institutions and authorities through capacity development of duty bearers, strengthening law and policy enforcement and increasing public-centered service provisions especially strengthening accountability and transparency mechanisms, increasing access to equal and effective service delivery systems and increasing public participation in the decision making level and reducing malpractices of public institutions.
Importantly, ESDF creates awareness among the public about good governance and make them active citizens to address the issues of good governance and promote accountable governance at institutional levels. On the other hand, ESDF educates and engages women and youth to contribute and influence on governance structures and promote good governance.
Reconciliation is part and parcel in the post war situation in terms building sustainable peace. The ESDF has been working on dealing with past with the intention of promoting reconciliation and social cohesion among divided multi ethnic and multi religious communities in Sri Lanka through empowering community groups on peace needs and social cohesion, conducting inter-community dialogues, psychological healing of war victims, memorialization, rehabilitating victims of the war including disabled, torture survivors and victims of sexual violations and rebuild economic condition of women victims.
On the other hand, ESDF works on promoting religious and cultural pluralism through ethnic and religious communities’ exchange initiatives and increasing the respect and inclusion of religious freedom and language rights among multi ethnic groups. At the same time, the ESDF actively participates in peace building processes of the government and international mechanisms and also addressing peace needs and expressing demand of affected people especially women in multi ethnic and religious communities. Meanwhile, the ESDF is monitoring ongoing peace building process in Sri Lanka and educating the affected people especially women groups of that process to actively participate in peace building process to address their issues and demanding their needs.
Economic growth is another pillar of the ESDF’s intervention in terms of reducing economic vulnerability of affected and marginalized women in the post war context of Sri Lanka as well as ensuring social and economic wellbeing of those women.
The ESDF has been providing skills and technical capacity development trainings on small entrepreneurship and marketing with the focus of adopting new technologies and access online market platform. At the same time, build professional skills of women and give the opportunity to access the labour market equally.
Furthermore, the ESDF provides capital assistance or investments to identified women groups and mentoring them to start up micro and small level entrepreneurship according to their ability and willingness with the focus of building executive leadership of women entrepreneurs to access, manage and control resources to be a financially independent person to meet basic needs. Through these kinds of activities, reduce economic hardship and vulnerability of women and make them to contribute to the local economy growth of the eastern province. Make each and every woman aware about their economic and social rights as a rightsholder and motivate them to defend their rights in terms of accessing and getting equal opportunities in the economic sector.
