This was presented at the Mauritius UNESCO Conference 2014 to celebrate the Indentured Labor Route

1. Plantation Tamil Women
in Sri Lanka – An Overview
INDENTURED LABOUR ROUTE
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
MAURITIUS OCTOBER 2014
Dr Chandrika Subramaniyan
MA MPhil PhD LLB LLM MAICD
Solicitor and Barrister
(Supreme Court of NSW and High Court of Australia)

2. Plantation Tamils in Sri Lanka
Today
BBC Report : current status of Plantation Tamils is worse than the status existed
during British period
Badulla land slide October 2014 : best example

3. Landslide Badulla 2014

4. line houses of int
IND. labour

5. EARLY HISTORY
BRITISH COLONISATION
early 1800 s
5.4 % - population in Sri Lanka

6. Women and Workforce
WOMEN
75%-85% of the work force

7. sub contracted – power abuse
KANKANIS
recruitment of staff
and
management of staff

8. Research basis
DESK TOP
constraint in accessing the resources
geographical location of the author

9. Characteristics of Plantation
Industry
THE POLITICAL STATUS OF PLANTATION TAMILS
1948 disenfranchised stateless and without citizenship right
1964 Srimavo Bandaranaike –Shastri divided - three categories
• 525,000 - Indian-resident repatriates
• 300,000 -entitled to SL citizenship
• 150,000 residents statelessness would be addressed at a later
date.
In 2000, - 300,000 Tamils continued to be stateless

10. Citizenship Act 35 of 2003
POPULATION GROWTH?
in three decades - population growth
from 812,700 to 842,300?????
N. Sathiya Moorthy, the Director and Senior Research
Fellow, Observer Research Foundation.

11. The Living conditions
L I V E IN “ L IN E RO OMS ”
space constraints
poor sanitation conditions and no privacy
6-12 or 24 line rooms /one line
no windows or ventilation
dark in nature
health threats

12. Poverty among the plantation
Tamils
POVERTY
2002 - poverty recorded - 7% above the
national level
in the plantation sector -5% -the total
Population of Sri Lanka lives

13. Wages in the plantation sector
LABOUR AND WAGES
workers and the management remained as “semi-bonded
labour“
2011, raised the plantation daily wage from 405 to 515
rupees

14. Literacy rate in the plantation sector
CHILD LABOUR
37% - plantation children are in workforce
contravening the rights of the children : in
international covenants :CRC, ICERC and CERD
Education : potential threat to the labour supply

15. Health in the plantation sector
NEGLECTED HEALTH FACILITIES
• no occupational health and safety
measures
• pesticides - no safety measures
• no proper medical facilities
• no health literacy
• sexual harassment

16. women workers in the plantation
UNIONS VS FEMALE WORKERS
unions are dominated by male leaders
women do most of the tea plucking 10-12 hrs
No equal pay
No structured hours of work and
No work rights
no opportunity for female union leaders.
No understanding : needs of the women

17. Violence and harassment
PHYSICAL VERBAL AND SEXUAL
violence
sexual harassment

18. Recommendations…….
SYSTEMS NEEDED
constitutional guarantee to ensure that the
people and children of the plantation
community enjoy their basic rights
politicians and government should implement
administrative reforms aiming to achieve social
inclusion of the plantation Tamils

19. Recommendations…….
SYSTEMS NEEDED
Literacy programmes on citizenship basics, legal and
voting rights
Appropriate health education programmes
Contd…..

20. Recommendations……
SYSTEMS NEEDED
Need for a special authority with empathy to address
the issues such as women’s rights and human rights
affecting the Plantation Tamil community
monthly wage system - includes medical assistance
/allowances /insurances

21. Recommendations……
SYSTEMS NEEDED
special health service
Child protection measures
identify issues in relation to the children and
address breaches of international covenants

22. Recommendations……
HOUSING
Needs improved living conditions :
proper housing schemes with sanitation
facilities.

23. THANK YOU
DR CHANDRIKA SUBRAMANIYAN
MA MP HI L P HD L L B L LM MA I C D
SOLICITOR AND BARRISTER
( S U P R EME C O U R T O F N SW A N D H I G H C O U R T O F A U S T R A L I A )
MEDIATOR – AUS TRAL IA
ARBI TRATOR & MEDIATOR – KUALALUMPUR
ARBI TRATOR INDIAN COUNCI L OF ARBI TRATAT ION