The John Keells Group commemorated the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25th November, reaffirming its commitment to combat gender-based violence (GBV) through sustained initiatives and targeted campaigns carried out by its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) entity, John Keells Foundation (JKF). This year’s observance included the eighth annual public campaign under JKF’s Project WAVE (Working Against Violence through Education), under the theme ‘Stand up, speak out, end the cycle of violence’ with activities such as policy awareness sessions for HR professionals within the Group and public outreach through electronic and social media platforms. Awareness sessions for university students were also planned but deferred due to elections. These efforts aim to foster a safer, more inclusive environment within workplaces and communities.

In an internal communique, Krishan Balendra, Chairperson of the John Keells Group said, “With a female population of approximately 52%, it is very concerning that women still account for only one-third of the labour force. Deeply rooted attitudes play an integral part in limiting the potential of women while incidents and concerns of GBV also deter many from entering or continuing in employment or entrepreneurship… Preventing and addressing GBV is entrenched in the John Keells Group Code of Conduct and reinforced by the Group’s Non-Discrimination Policy and Policy Against Sexual Harassment. The Group operates on a zero-tolerance policy for any form of sexual harassment in the workplace and is committed to providing a safe environment for all its people.”

Project WAVE (Working Against Violence through Education), which was launched in 2014 to address the pervasive issues of GBV and child abuse, completed its 10th anniversary this year. Speaking of the decade long impact, Carmeline Jayasuriya, Head of CSR of the John Keells Group commented, “Our CSR endeavours have complemented the process of internalising the corporate policies and also extended awareness creation through targeted outreach programmes and public campaigns. Project WAVE, which is founded on the belief that education and awareness are key to ending cycles of violence, has since its launch in November 2014, impacted over 4.9 million persons including staff of the John Keells Group, target groups such as lawyers, police officers, university students, school children, parents, teachers as well as the general public through campaigns addressing issues such as sexual harassment on public transport and other public spaces, domestic violence and child protection including resource and training facilitation for Sri Lanka Police.”

In addition to addressing GBV, Project WAVE espouses the cause of child protection. In commemoration of National Children’s Day JKF championed the themes “A Better Future for Every Child” and “Investing in Our Future Means Investing in Our Children” through impactful initiatives. Notable among them were collaborative awareness sessions at Cinnamon Grand Colombo and Cinnamon Citadel Kandy featuring a puppet show by Power of Play, supported by ECPAT Sri Lanka. These interactive sessions educated over 160 students from 11 schools on personal safety and abuse prevention. Complementing these efforts, cyber safety awareness programmes were conducted in JKF’s Praja Shakthi locations of Colombo 2 and Ranala in partnership with the National Child Protection Authority and LEADS, impacting 535 students and 145 parents, with plans for further outreach in Ja-Ela and Moratuwa.