Sri Lanka
"We have to win this fight, not only to get justice for ourselves, but for our children"
Meet Rathnamali from Sri Lanka.
Rathnamali is an energetic mother of three from Paanama village in Sri Lanka. Farming was her life - and then her living was snatched away. Rathnamali was just one of 350 farmer families forcibly evicted from land that is now used for a tourist hotel. The land has been collectively owned by the community for many years.
When the promise to provide the families with replacement land was not kept, the community worked together to protest, but their peaceful struggle was met with violence, intimidation, and threats.
Looking out over the rented paddy field that she now works on, Rathnamali laments the continuing daily struggles of feeding her family. Without land and a stable income, her oldest child's education has been badly disrupted. But, as before, these hardships do not break Rathnamali's will. 'We have to win this fight, not only to get justice for ourselves, but for our children.' Read the full story here.
Stand with the community of Paanama and demand land rights now.
-
Rathnamali, land rights defender from Sri Lanka
-
Temporary shelters for Paanama community in Sri Lanka
-
Structures constructed in illegally grabbed land by the Sri Lanka military forces
