A two day training workshop on the rule of law was held for 32 members of the Vavuniya Local Inter Religious Committee (LIRC) under NPC’s project, Collective Engagement for Religious Freedom (CERF).

The workshop, which was facilitated by lawyer Jagath Liyana Arachchi, focused on the subject of religious freedom and how it was guaranteed under the laws in Sri Lanka.

The participants, who included religious leaders, local government officials, community police officers, development officers and NGO representatives, asked several questions about the existing laws and gave many examples of where they had experienced delays in their implementation.

Participants from the North felt that the legal system was not effective in some instances, especially in civil cases. They pointed out that people in the north were in a post war situation that made them more vulnerable when it came to seeking justice in general.