Sri Lanka to amend flawed Prevention of Domestic Violence Act
The Sri Lankan government says need for amending the flawed Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (PDVA), which was introduced in 2005 with a view to eliminating domestic violence has now arisen considering the problems observed during the implementation of the Act during the last 12 years.
Sri Lanka's obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), gave the impetus for the enactment of the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, No.34 of 2005, indicating the fact that it is a piece of legislation mainly to protect vulnerable individuals like women from domestic violence;
One of the flaws of the PDVA is that the Act is mainly concerned with protecting the victim rather than punishing the offender; and, deterrent punishment is impos...