Dabindu Collective, an AmplifyChange Strengthening grantee partner, shares how they supported garment workers affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka through SRHR awareness, solidarity and support.
Dabindu Collective’s work is rooted in Sri Lanka’s Free Trade Zones (FTZs) and manufacturing areas, particularly in Biyagama, Katunayake, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya, where thousands of women workers are employed in garment factories. The “Advocate for the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights & Dignity of Women Workers in the Sri Lankan Garment Industry” project, funded by AmplifyChange, addresses intersecting challenges, including precarious working conditions, climate-related disasters, and multiple forms of gender-based violence (GBV) both offline and increasingly online. Natural disasters often deepen existing vulnerabilities, impacting women’s physical safety, mental wellbeing, economic security, and access to information and support.
In late November 2025, Cyclone Ditwah hit the eastern coast of Sri Lanka, causing widespread flooding and landslides, affecting more than a million people. Following the floods, we observed heightened stress, displacement, economic insecurity, and isolation among women workers. These conditions can exacerbate both physical and digital violence. We felt it was critical to create a safe, supportive community space that addressed immediate post-disaster risks while reinforcing messages of dignity, rights, and collective care during the 16 Days campaign period.
By linking disaster response with gender justice advocacy, we aimed to highlight that violence against women and girls does not pause during emergencies, and neither should protection, awareness, or solidarity.
Empowering Women Workers Through SRHR and Collective Care
The project empowers young women workers by raising awareness of their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and creating safe spaces within boarding facilities and factories for dialogue and intervention on SRHR issues. Key interventions include improving access to youth-friendly SRHR services through strengthened linkages with service providers, promoting menstrual health via affordable reusable cloth napkins while fostering local entrepreneurial opportunities, and providing Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) courses for civil society organisations to build capacity and establish cross-sectoral SRHR networks. By generating evidence-based reports, sensitising duty bearers, and supporting respectful, stigma-free service provision by health professionals, the project enhances individual awareness of SRHR as human rights, increase access to resources and services, and build stronger, more inclusive movements advocating for the rights and dignity of marginalised women garment workers.
Addressing the Aftermath of a Crisis
One of the main challenges workers faced in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah was post-flood displacement, income loss, and emotional distress, which limited their ability to engage consistently in project activities. These difficulties were compounded by demanding factory schedules, caregiving responsibilities, mobility constraints, and language barriers, particularly affecting internal migrant workers. Discussions on GBV and digital violence were highly sensitive due to stigma, fear, and low trust, requiring trauma-informed approaches. Coordination with public institutions during the emergency proved challenging amid competing crisis response demands. Altogether, the convergence of climate crises, economic insecurity, and GBV underscored the need for long-term psychosocial support and policy-level interventions, extending well beyond short-term activities.
As part of our broader advocacy and community mobilisation work, we organised a 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence community event on 21 December 2025 in Biyagama, in response to the Ditwah floods. The event brought together 85 participants, including workers, community members, and health officials, to promote solidarity, psychosocial wellbeing, and awareness of violence against women and girls in times of crisis.
The event aligned with the 2025 16 Days of Activism theme around ending digital violence and all forms of violence against women and girls.
A Community Centred Approach
The 16 Days event engaged the community, raising awareness and building resilience and coping strategies for those affected by abuse. We adopted a community-centred and psychosocial approach, combining advocacy, awareness, and healing-oriented activities.
The event included a silent walk protest that offered a powerful, non-verbal expression of solidarity with flood-affected workers and survivors of violence, alongside health awareness sessions led by the Ministry of Health doctor and Public Health Inspector focusing on post-flood health risks and prevention. A dedicated psychosocial awareness session addressed stress, trauma, and multiple forms of GBV while exploring coping strategies in disaster contexts. The programme also incorporated games, music, and dance, creating moments of joy and connection that reaffirmed hope, resilience, and collective strength. In addition, a collage photo booth enabled participants to creatively express their experiences and advocate against digital GBV. This blended approach allowed participants not only to learn, but also to feel seen, supported, and connected.
Looking Forward
The event strengthened community solidarity among flood-affected workers while increasing awareness of post-disaster health risks and GBV, including digital violence. It reinforced a vital message: that women’s dignity, safety, and wellbeing must remain central, especially during climate crises. By creating networks for information and services, the activity also helped build stronger, more inclusive movements within FTZ communities.
Building on this experience, we aim to integrate psychosocial support more systematically into our advocacy and community programmes; strengthen disaster-responsive gender justice strategies within FTZ communities; deepen partnerships with health authorities; and elevate FTZ workers’ climate-related concerns within national policy platforms.
