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The concept of police brutality is not foreign to Sri Lanka and many commentators have accused the police of employing violence and abusing the law in the name of maintaining public order and national security. Due to the three decade war, the police has had to transform itself into a battle ready force; it is common for police officers to carry assault rifles.

Connecting emotions, experiences and expectations have been central in the project aimed at improving the capacity of staff of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP). Funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CLFI), NPC concluded the OMP project with nine sessions of outreach on empathy building. Held in Colombo, Matara, Mannar, Jaffna and Batticaloa, the sessions were delivered to the members of victim families as well as government officers with the objective of reconciling the issues and conflicts identified in the service delivery process. 

Elephants, associated with cultural and religious values, are seen as sacred animals and cultural symbols; they are also used for economic activities and tourism development.

Problem mapping is a technique used to analyse and understand complex problems by breaking them down into smaller components, figuring out the relation between these components, visualising and choosing what component to prioritise first. Mapping community problems is important to identify root causes and actual issues that are related to democracy and the vulnerability of women. Under NPC’s Women Organized for Inclusion through Community Engagement (WOICE) project, problem mapping discussions were held in the Matara, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Ratnapura, Gampaha and Kegalle districts with the participation of 35 female supergroup members and 140 female peer group members in each district.

When it comes to wounds, injuries or injustices of the past, different words carry similar meanings; the commonalities lie in what experiences change in individuals, groups or organizations in the future. Therefore, the past has to be dealt with before looking to the future.

The CSO Collective held a meeting to discuss the deteriorating conditions in the country in which hardships of the people continue to grow along with governmental suppression of dissent. NPC was one of the core group of organizers. More than 500 leading civic activists from across the country attended the meeting. NPC took on the task of ensuring participation by clergy from all religions by facilitating the attendance of 68 religious clergy from its 17 District Inter Religious Committees as well as 25 youth and seven coordinators from its Local Inter Religious Committees. In addition, 24 representatives from NPC's partner CSOs at the district and divisional levels also attended.

A key feature in any democracy is the right to information. In Sri Lanka, the right to information is ensured through Article 14(1)(A) of the Constitution to all the citizens. It is subject to certain limitations prescribed in the legislation such as unwanted intrusion into the privacy and national security.

On the final phase of the project for government officers of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CLFI), four training programmes were held in Matara, Jaffna, Mannar and Batticaloa. Understanding the theoretical and practical concepts of pluralism and inclusivity, transitional justice, non-violent-communication and empathy aimed at bridging the gaps identified in earlier activities.

NPC, with the assistance of its partner organizations, held five district level NGO networking meetings in the districts of Kurunegala, Batticaloa, Mannar, Monaragala and Beruwala, attended by 150 NGOs working on social and development issues.

Strengthening DIRCs through developing their strategic and communications plans was the focus for meetings held in Hambantota, Kurunegala, Kegalle, Kandy, Puttalam, Galle, Matara, Ratnapura, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Vavuniya, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Jaffna and Monaragala under NPC’s Plural Action for Conflict Transformation (PACT) project. “As a manager for Sanasa, I have received training on preparing strategic plans but today I was able to get a clear understanding of the process. I think we can follow this method for any activity we do.

Do you secure you digital devices like your door at home? Do you use either a laptop, computer, mobile phone or portable storage devices? If yes, you are well protected. If not, this opens up avenues for potential threats, loss of sensitive and confidential data affecting both you as individuals and as an organisation.

Training programmes on non-violent communication, non-violent movements and citizen activism were held under NPC’s Women Organized for Inclusion through Community Engagement (WOICE) project. The role of women in leadership positions has gained significant recognition across various sectors. As women continue to break barriers and assume positions of power and influence, it becomes crucial to equip them with the necessary tools and skills to promote peace and harmony in their communities.

Jaffna is governed under one of three remaining customary laws used in Sri Lanka: Thesawalamai law, which is the traditional law of the Sri Lankan Tamil inhabitants Jaffna peninsula, codified by the Dutch during their colonial rule in 1707.

NPC, with the assistance of its partner organizations, conducted networking meetings in the districts of Ampara, Matara, Badulla, Kandy, Rakwana, Negombo, Trincomalee and Vavuniya. The way subnational NGOs interacted with multiple religious leaders at the meeting revealed gaps in their pluralism capacity. For example, they gave more attention and respect to the majority religious leaders in comparison to minority religious leaders.

The Jaffna District Inter Religious Committee (DIRC), with the guidance of its partner organization SOND, organised a peace march followed by a media conference. These were to highlight the growth in religious tension, request restraint on the part of all religions and to urge the government to prevent escalation.

When asked whether he thought the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) had done anything constructive for victim families or if it would do so, a former OMP official at an event organised by NPC was not optimistic. The official was attending one of the six review meetings held in Mannar, Batticaloa and Jaffna under the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CLFI)/OMP project at a regional level to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of OMP services received by the families of victims. The willingness of the new OMP leadership to collaborate with CSOs in improving their service is a positive indication of a new start.