Sunday Times 2
Child rights activist, Sri Lanka’s recipient of the International Women of Courage 2019 award
Marini flanked by the US First Lady Melania Trump and Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo. (Pic courtesy US Department of State website)
“I consider myself privileged to be pelted with stones. As American writer Dale Carnegie said, ‘no one kicks a dead dog’,” says Marini de Livera, Sri Lanka’s recipient of the International Women of Courage 2019 award (IWOC) from the US Department of State.
Mrs. De Livera was among other trailblazing women from Bangladesh, Burma, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Ireland, Montenegro, Peru and Tanzania at this annual event held last Thursday at the US Department of State. US First Lady, Melania Trump and Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo, honoured the women who have demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating peace, justice, human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, often at great personal risk and sacrifice.
Since the inception of the award in March 2007, the US Department of State had recognized more than 120 women from more than 65 different countries. U.S. diplomatic missions overseas nominate one woman of courage from their respective host countries. Last year, Sri Lanka’s Sandya Ekneligoda, wife of the missing journalist, Prageeth Ekneligoda was among the recipients. This year, Mrs. De Livera, pro bono lawyer for women and child victims of crimes and former Chairperson of National Child Protection Authority, (NCPA) was recognized as the Sri Lankan recipient for ‘promoting and protecting human rights at considerable financial, professional and personal cost’.
Speaking to the Sunday Times from Washington DC, Mrs. De Livera said she had to “forge ahead despite obstacles, negativity, lack of political and administrative will and bureaucratic clogs.” This was aligned with the remarks of Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo: “We’re here today to honour women of courage from all around the world who are standing tall in the face of extraordinary adversity.” Mrs. De Livera was introduced by him as a ‘crusader against child exploitation in Sri Lanka.’
Founder and Chairperson of Sisters-at-Law, Mrs. De Livera calls herself a ‘lonely crusader’. “However, today I feel blessed to have a network of like-minded people rallying around me in fighting against crimes perpetrated on women and children and in promoting alternative care for children trapped in orphanages,” she adds. A Human Rights Trainer (for the army, police, public officials, and grassroots level leaders) a legal academic here and in the UK and Seychelles, Mrs. De Livera has also been a member of the Steering Committee on the Rehabilitation of Child Soldiers, the Prisons’ Reforms Committee, and the National Committee on Women. She chaired the committee that drafted the amendments to the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act.
A woman who calls herself ‘unstoppable’, her batteries are ever charged for the betterment of people, especially those at the grassroots level. “My road has never been easy,” recollects the lawyer cum artist and Licentiate teacher in Speech and Drama at Trinity College London. “During my term of office as the Chairperson of the NCPA, I was ridiculed and harassed and was prevented from carrying on my duties in various ways. I was informed of my removal from the NCPA when I was at a library-opening in a rural school. I was disheartened only for a few hours. Even before I left for the US for the awards ceremony, baseless allegations were charged against me,” recollects the iron-willed lady.
Besides the pro bono work she does, Mrs. De Livera harnesses her creative faculties through visual arts and drama to create legal literacy among the public. She has her own street theatre group that travels around the country performing plays related to human rights issues.
Recollecting fondly how her father, the legal luminary, Dr. J.A.L. Cooray would mentor her not only in law but in literature and history, Mrs. De Livera urges all budding lawyers to evolve into fully-fledged individuals. Her most recent coveted accolade is a personification of ‘sisterhood’ which can achieve things collectively, and also a reflection of the role of an ideal woman lawyer. “It also speaks for the duty cast on the intelligentsia of our society- that is to have empathy towards the downtrodden and find solutions to their problems through professional work.” Urging professional women, be they lawyers or otherwise to be “altruistic, less mercenary and problem-solvers,” the poet at heart that she is, Mrs. De Livera quotes her all-time favourite Maya Angelou:
“You ,may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness
But still, like air, I’ll rise…”