Hill Country Tamils of Sri Lanka: Analysis of Legal and Policy issues affecting labour and governance structure

Abstract

This report examines the socio-economic background and history of the Hill Country Tamil community (HCT) with a focus on health, education, labour and their primary engagement in the tea plantation industry. Thereafter, the report dives into the three main drivers of disadvantage that have paved the way to perpetuating the long-standing issues of discrimination and marginalisation in access to state services and major human rights guarantees faced by the HCT communities in this sector.

Using a legislative lens, this report specifically focuses on issues in the tea plantation sector such as lack of access to public administration, absence of labour rights of workers and the absence of land and housing rights. As such, this report is formulated with the broader objective of making appropriate suggestions to increase the state’s participation in service delivery, and upholding the state’s responsibility to respect, promote and guarantee the rights of the HCT community.