Boycott Sri Lanka

Top 10 Reasons to Boycott

1. Sri Lanka is one of the top “red alert” countries at risk for genocide
http://www.preventorprotect.org/overview/watch-list.html

2. Sri Lanka was voted off United Nations Humans Rights Council in 2008 (Asian Human Rights Council)
http://www.ahrchk.net/ahrc-in-news/mainfile.php/2008ahrcinnews/1994/

3. Sri Lanka has a history of expelling UN and human rights monitors from the country (BBC)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8240415.stm

4. Sri Lanka is ranked as having the 2nd highest rate of disappearances in the world (United Nations)
http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6623289D5FA5F96B85256D49004EFB07

5. Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places for journalists (BBC)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7293303.stm

6. Tamils treated as second-class citizens in own country: they must carry identification cards (United Nations)
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,QUERYRESPONSE,LKA,4562d8cf2,4a70409a23,0.html

7. Culture of impunity: despite pervasive human rights violations, very few are ever held accountable (International Press Freedom Mission)
http://www.newssafety.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11366%3Aglobal-media-rights-groups-condemn-qculture-of-impunity-and-indifferenceq-in-sri-lanka&catid=314%3Apress-room-news-release&Itemid=100077

8. 130,000 + civilians denied access to freedom of movement in internment camps (Human Rights Watch)
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/11/24/sri-lanka-free-all-unlawfully-detained

9. 20,000+ civilian casualties just at the end of the war alone (Guardian UK)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/30/sri-lanka-war-crime

10. Continued restrictions on humanitarian aid in IDP camps (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052101144.html

Impact of Your Boycott





















Boycotting Sri Lankan goods will not only affect the government’s revenue to continue sponsoring the disenfranchisement of Tamils, but more importantly, will send a significant political message to companies producing in Sri Lanka. The Save Darfur Coalition campaigned at investment firms like JP Morgan and Fidelity Investments to make globally - conscious decisions about their investments in Sudan. This strategy not only raised awareness about the genocide occurring in Darfur but also encouraged the Sudanese government to allow access to humanitarian agencies.

By boycotting Sri Lankan goods, you are not only clearing your conscience, but you are also making a statement to apparel companies encouraging them to be more gloablly – conscious about their decisions as to where they produce their goods.

Would it not impact the poor Sri Lankans if people Boycott clothes Made in Sri Lanka at Victoria Secret (VS )?

VS factories in Sri Lanka are concentrated in regions where Sinhalese are in 90%+ majority. Majority of these are in the 'Special Economic Development Zones' which are restricted as 'High Security Zone' with zero access to people of North East origin.

There are no factories in Tamil majority areas producing goods for VS. In fact, the official ban on people moving out of the North East region, including limited 'military pass' options for people in Jaffna and the internment camps of Vavuniya, means that an ethnic Tamil has more chance of migrating to the US for a job at VS than to a part of Sri Lanka where there is a factory producing goods for the company.

VS does make sizeable economic contribution to the country. It helps in the maintenance of Asia's largest military (as a percentage of population) and generally cushions the Sinhala people from the economic impacts of their government's war and zero regards for humanrights, which has cost it otherwise ample supply of aid money.

Since all Sri Lankan identity documents show ethnic origin and as the factories collect data on ethnicity of workers, if VS has an equal opportunities policy in Sri Lanka, it should come forward to publish necessary statistics.

You may have doubts about the effectiveness of one individual refusing to purchase a shirt or a pair of shoes, but the long term aggregate effect of you and every person who visits this site and Boycotts Sri Lanka will be tremendous.

What is a reasonable thing for Victoria Secret (VS ) to do?

The European Union is already using its economic leverage to negotiate with Sri Lanka for guarantees of basic human rights. VS, as a responsible corporate brand, should join this global effort. Options for Sri Lanka should be simple: improve human rights or we will stop trading with you.

At the moment, VS seems to think that its guilt can be washed away by providing morning after pills to rape victims.

VS should divest from Sri Lanka immediately and take its business to other countries that do not engage in crimes against its own citizens. By divesting, VS will avoid any negative publicity directed at their brands and stop funding the genocidal practices of the Sri Lankan government.

Sri Lankan Economy

Sri Lanka generates about $40 billion a year, the majority of which is based on exports. In 2008, approximately $8.2 billion was generated in the exportation of products such as garments, tea, rubber products, and jewelry. 43% of these exports were in textiles and apparel, most of which went to the United States, UK, and India. Much of Sri Lanka’s labor force is employed in the textile industry, whose wages are then heavily taxed by the Sri Lankan government. This tax money is then used to fund Sri Lankan military operations in the northern and eastern regions of the island.

Although the war ended over six months ago, Sri Lankan Army personnel continue to heavily guard internment camps holding nearly 150,000 civilians. The government has been making repeated promises about the release of the IDP’s, yet it has not responded to pleas on the part of humanitarian agencies, the United Nations, and the US State Department. These internment camps are financed in part by the economy generated through our consumerism.