# Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment

The Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment (Sinhala: කාන්තා, ළමා කටයුතු හා සමාජ සවිබලගැන්වීම් අමාත්‍යාංශය, romanized: Kānthā, Ḷamā Kaṭayutu Hā Samāja Savibalagănvīm Amātyāṃśaya; Tamil: மகளிர், சிறுவர் அலுவல்கள் மற்றும் சமூக வலுப்படுத்துகை அமைச்சு) is the Sri Lankan government ministry responsible for "Formulating, executing and regulating provisions and policies aligned to practices of good governance to ensure the rights of children and women by empowering socio-economic conditions, instilling values and ensuring participation through strategic integration with all stakeholders leading to a dignified nation".

## Overview

Vision:
   A strong nation of women and children with ensured rights that contributes towards sustainable development.
Mission:
   To formulate,implement,monitor,evaluate and co-ordinate policies and programmes required for the physical and human resource development with a concerted approach in order to create an empowered conductive environment that ensures social, economic and cultural development and rights of women and children.

## List of ministers

The Minister of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment is an appointment in the Cabinet of Sri Lanka.

### Parties

Sri Lanka Freedom Party  United National Party  Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna  National People's Power
| Name | Party | Title | Tenure | President |
| Sumedha Jayasena | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Minister of Women Affairs & Social Welfare | 19 October 2000 - 14 September 2001 | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| Ferial Ashraff | United National Party | Minister of Development, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of the East, Rural Housing Development and Women's Affairs | 14 September 2001 - 10 April 2004 | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| Sumedha Jayasena | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Minister of Child Development & Women's Empowerment Minister of Parliamentary Affairs | 10 April 2004 - 23 April 2010 | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Tissa Karalliyadde | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Minister of Child Development and Women's Affairs | 23 April 2010 - 9 January 2015 | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Chandrani Bandara Jayasinghe | United National Party | Minister of Women's Affairs Minister of Women and Child Affairs | 12 January 2015 - 21 November 2019 | Maithripala Sirisena |
| Pavithra Wanniarachchi | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | Minister of Women & Child Affairs and Dry Zone Development Minister of Women & Child Affairs and Social Security | 22 November 2019 - 11 August 2020 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa |
| Piyal Nishantha de Silva | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | State Minister of Women and Child Development, Pre-schools & Primary Education, School Infrastructure & Education Services | 12 August 2020 - 09 May 2022 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa |
| Ranil Wickremesinghe | United National Party | Minister of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment | 4 November 2022 - 24 September 2024 | Ranil Wickremesinghe |
| Harini Amarasuriya | National People's Power | Minister of Women, Child and Youth Affairs and Sports | 24 September 2024 - 17 November 2024 | Anura Kumara Dissanayake |
| Saroja Savithri Paulraj | National People's Power | Minister of Women and Child Affairs | 18 November 2024 - Present | Anura Kumara Dissanayake |

## History

| History of the Ministry | Year |
| Women's Bureau in Sri Lanka was 1st established under the Ministry of Plan Implementation | 1978 |
| Women's Bureau in Sri Lanka was re-established under the Ministry of Women's Affairs and Teaching Hospital | 1983 |
| Ministry of Women's Affairs. (Separate Ministry) | 1997 |
| Ministry of Women Empowerment and Social Welfare | 2004 |
| Ministry of Child Development and Women's Empowerment | 2006 |
| Ministry of Child Development and Women's Affairs | 2010 |
| Ministry of Women's Affairs. | 2015 |
| Ministry of Women and Child Affairs | 2015 |
| Ministry of Women & Child Affairs and Dry Zone Development | 2018 |
| Ministry of Women & Child Affairs and Social Security | 2019 |
| State Ministry of Women and Child Development, Pre-schools & Primary Education, School Infrastructure & Education Services | 2020 |