Jump to content

Swasthika Arulingam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Swasthika Arulingam
NationalitySri Lankan
Occupation(s)human rights lawyer, women's rights activist

Swasthika Arulingam is a Sri Lankan human rights lawyer, women's rights activist, human rights activist and political activist. She also serves as a prominent member of the Liberation Movement.[1][2]

Career

[edit]

Arulingam has specialized in the field of law as an attorney-at-law. She has advocated for the rights of women and girls in public forums and public spheres, often highlighting women who are vulnerable to gender based violence.[3]

She served as a project manager at the legal aid commission for the North and East program Support Unit.[4] She has been a vocal critic of the Rajapaksa regime and has requested justice for Tamil victims affected by the final stages of Sri Lankan Civil War.[5]

Her Facebook exchange with Tamil National Alliance politician MA Sumanthiran with regards to the Counter Terrorism Bill was compiled as an article in the Colombo Telegraph in 2018.[6]

On 9 June 2020, she was detained by Sri Lankan police as she tried to enquire about the arrests of Black Lives Matter protestors in Colombo. She was released the following day after being detained for several hours.[7]

On 13 July 2021, she became the first female member to participate in the National Labour Advisory Council meeting after being nominated by the United Federation of Labour. She was appointed as the Deputy Secretary General of the Commercial and Industrial Workers Union.[8]

Arulingam has been involved with the Aragalaya movement since its inception in March 2022 as its voluntary representative and she has advocated for the rights of peaceful protestors.[9][10] She was also in the forefront as a protest organiser at Galle Face Green and had advocated as a social activist on behalf of people's struggle.[11][12][13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Science, London School of Economics and Political. "Summer Term 2020". London School of Economics and Political Science. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  2. ^ "Government of Sri Lanka, bring our migrant workers home! | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  3. ^ "'Men must take responsibility for GBV'". The Morning - Sri Lanka News. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  4. ^ Nadeera, Dilshan. "Gender-based violence". Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  5. ^ Srinivasan, Meera (2022-05-18). "Sri Lanka war anniversary: Tamil victims remembered in Colombo". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  6. ^ "Will TNA Vote For The Draconian Counter Terror Act?". Colombo Telegraph. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  7. ^ "Sri Lankan police release lawyer after arrests at Black Lives Matter protest | Tamil Guardian". www.tamilguardian.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  8. ^ "'Female-headed TUs are sidelined by male TU leaders'". The Morning - Sri Lanka News. 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  9. ^ "Sri Lanka president finally resigns after fleeing to a second country". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  10. ^ "The democratic moment today; a call for action and reflection | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  11. ^ Schmall, Emily; Gunasekara, Skandha; Mashal, Mujib (2022-07-14). "Sri Lanka's President Resigns After Months of Protest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  12. ^ "Occupied public property to be returned to state". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  13. ^ "Protesters handover occupied state buildings - Front Page | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2022-07-15.