Migrant workers pay for lavish lifestyles of others - President

Colombo (News 1st) - The International Women's Day Ceremony was held at the Anuradhapura Public Grounds under the auspices of President Maithripala Sirisena today. International Women's Day was celebrated under the theme, "Smart women, for a Better World". The President felicitated women who have done national service and presented several awards and certificates to a number of entrepreneurs in the Anuradhapura district. Addressing the event the head of state noted that despite many people talking about the issues faced by women, a majority of the issues they face remain unresolved. He explained that there are over 1.5mn Sri Lankan women in the Middle East working as housemaids. He noted that while he is personally against sending women for such occupations, the money that they send back to the country has become vital for it. President Sirisena explained that the luxurious lifestyles of politicians, prominent businessmen as well as government officials are being funded by the dollars and pounds that these women send back to the country. Speaking at the event Minister of Women & Child Affairs, Chandrani Bandara noted that they have launched the 1938 hotline to offer assistance for any issue faced by women. The minister noted that she hopes to expand this service from the current 12-hour operational time to 24 hours. Meanwhile, the Women's Day program of the SLFP was held at the Vihara MahaDevi Park in Colombo under the auspices of the President today. This was celebrated under the theme of 'A nation without Alcohol - a happy home'. Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga also participated in this event. Speaking at the event the head of state spoke on the actions of NGOs. He noted that there are many NGOs around the country that speak of women's rights for the sake of earning foreign funding. He stated that none of the NGOs speak about the suffering of women employed in the Middle East and they do not talk about the problems faced by these women when they return to the country. He noted that instead of providing solutions to issues faced by the women of this country, these members of these NGOs celebrate Women's Day by partying by drinking champagne or beer.