RFSU partners in Sri Lanka stand up against traditionally conservative gender roles
While many other aid organisations are leaving a crisis-hit country like Sri Lanka, RFSU is stepping in to provide support. Here, we are welcomed with open arms by organisations working on SRHR. The choice of partners that we work with are informed by RFSU's strategic framework, the Sextant.
One can simply conceive of development aid as funds provided to people that are in need in other countries. But the support goes much deeper than that. When RFSU provides Swedish development aid, it does so on the basis of a well-developed strategy and with the aim of strengthening and supporting the receiving organisation in the long term. The partners that we choose are organisations that already work with sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), with human rights or with the rights of LGBTIQ+ people. An important aspect of the work is also to facilitate contacts between the organisations, both within and between countries, which can benefit from each other's knowledge and experience.
In 2023, RFSU will select the partners that it will work with during the next funding period with Sida, i.e. 2024-2028. We would like to take this opportunity to tell you more about that work starting with Sri Lanka, which is a recent addition in the RFSU portfolio. Ulrika Persson and Anna Rambe work at the RFSU head office and are the international programme managers for Sri Lanka:
How has RFSU's new international strategy influenced the choice of partners?
– The strategy is based on RFSU's strategic frameowrk, the Sextant. In developing it, it became clear that RFSU needs to expand its partnerships with organisations that work even more with groups that face different types of discrimination and marginalisation.
– The civil war, the tsunami and the current political and economic crisis have made the northern part of Sri Lanka extremely vulnerable. It was therefore natural to identify organisations in that particular part of the country, as well as organisations with clearly feminist work, such as Muslim women's organisations and factory workers associations in free trade zones.
Sri Lanka is a country in deep economic and humanitarian crisis. What is it like for RFSU to work in such a country?
– RFSU works to provide financial support and mentoring to local organisations. We visit our partner organisations once a year. We also have continuous dialogues via Zoom with partners and try to stay updated on the situation through the media and through other organisations operating in Sri Lanka. Currently, the inflation rate is at 70 percent so the challenges are great. To make the most of RFSU's contribution, we network with UN agencies and other civil society actors. Many international donors have left Sri Lanka and the need for SRHR support is enormous. RFSU is welcomed with open arms.
Who are the new partner organisations?
– FOSDOO and JSAC, two organisations with headquarters in Jaffna. They support women's rights, work against violence and run shelters. They work on health issues and access to, and information about SRHR.
– FPASL, the Family Planning association in Sri Lanka, is a sister organisation to RFSU. They are very similar to RFSU. They have clinics around Sri Lanka and are a progressive and fast-paced organisation working against discrimination against women, youth and LGBTIQ+ people. Among other things, they have done a study looking at attitudes and values around abortion. As Sri Lanka’s abortion legislation is one of the most restrictive in the world, long-term support is needed.
– MWRAF is a group of strong Muslim women who have been working together for the last 40 years. They want to change things so that, among other things, it will be possible to get a divorce even as a Muslim woman. They work a lot with Muslim leaders and slowly but surely manage to move positions forward on women's right to self-determination over their own bodies.
– The Stand Up Movement is an activist organisation focusing on workers in the manufacturing industry, many of whom also sell sex. The organisation's mission is to ensure sexual health. They also focus on issues related to LGBTIQ+ rights and freedom from violence.
What are their biggest challenges for these organisations?
– Restrictive SRHR legislation and conservative and religious opposition in the community. Political and economic crisis. And hugely traditional conservative gender roles.
What do they hope to achieve?
– The partner organisations want to contribute to the development of a society where women, LGBTIQ+ people and young people's SRHR are recognised. Everyone should be free from violence and have access to sexuality education and health services that correspond to the needs ofyoung people.
How can the RFSU support this work?
– RFSU provides financial support, but also contributes with lessons learned from the RFSU's long experience in Sweden and our other partners' experiences in the region.RFSU can also contributethrough networking and access to information on regional and global agreements and their follow-up. Already, RFSU has provided support to an LGBTIQ+ organization to present its shadow report at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. We also facilitated a series of meetings with key Sri Lankan actors in this context.
What happens next?
– We will be going to Sri Lanka in early February. Then we will meet with all partners and talk about their important initiatives. We will also do financial checks with the RFSU controller. This is important in order to learn how we can continue to support their organisations to become strong and be able to apply for grants from other donors. We will also meet with UNFPA and Diakonia, which have country offices in Colombo. Networking is always on the agenda and it is good to get information from many different sources. They strengthen our own knowledge and analysis.