A Participatory Study on Improving the Pandemic Policy Responses to Reduce Adverse Health Effects on Women Workers in the Export Sector of Sri Lanka

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Project No.	110026
Project Title	A Participatory Study on Improving the Pandemic Policy Responses to Reduce Adverse Health Effects on Women Workers in the Export Sector of Sri Lanka
Lead applicant	Asanka Wijesinghe
Lead applicant institution	Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka
Canadian Co-PI	Myra Yazbeck
Canadian Co-PI institution	University of Ottawa
Decision-maker PI	Anuradha Kumarasiri
Allocation amount (CAD)	949,974.00

Abstract:

The joint Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka and University of Ottawa research will study the relationship between government-sponsored economic schemes to the COVID-19 pandemic and the unequal health and economic shock on female workers in the ready-made garment industry of Sri Lanka at the national level. This will help us understand the magnitude of the disproportionate pandemic shock, identify the existing best practices to mitigate the adverse effect and suggest a fiscally feasible and gender-responsive response mechanism in the future. The study will follow a participatory-research approach, comprising primary data collection using surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews to generate evidence for use in policy influence.

Expected results

• Factory management teams that are better equipped to deal with pandemic situations and have more female workers.
• Industry and national policy response mechanisms effectively address women-specific structural issues in the garment industry.
• Policymakers, stakeholders and the Sri Lankan public are well informed about and adhere to regulations for improving pandemic readiness of factory floor designs and the need for responses to be gender responsive.