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Criminalisation of Poverty in Colombo
SEPTEMBER 15, 2025
Criminalisation of Poverty in Colombo
Criminalisation is often understood narrowly—as something that happens after a crime, involving police, courts, and prisons. But we argue that criminalisation is not only about breaking laws; it is about how laws are written, where suspicion is cast, and which bodies are deemed out of place. A critical example of the criminalisation of poverty is Colombo’s Urban Regeneration Project (URP) of the Government of Sri Lanka and implemented by the Urban Development Authority since 2012, which reveals that criminalisation extends beyond incarceration; it includes the transformation of poor people's living environments into carceral spaces themselves.
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COVID-19, Economic Crisis, and the Erosion of Sri Lanka’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Commitments
SEPTEMBER 2, 2025
COVID-19, Economic Crisis, and the Erosion of Sri Lanka’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Commitments
Sri Lanka is a state party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), obligated to progressively realise rights such as adequate food, housing, health, education, and social security. Despite clear obligations, Sri Lanka’s track record shows a persistent gap between formal commitments and reality.
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