Abhimani Women's Collective
OUR WORK & PROGRAMS • SRI LANKA

Frontline Action.
Systemic Liberation.

From midnight police station lockups to high-level parliamentary reform delegations, Abhimani Women's Collective operates a multi-tiered defense and support system for female and transgender sex workers across Sri Lanka.

ProgrammesAdvocacyCommunityResearchCapacity buildingEvents & galleryImpactInternational
Emergency Bail &
24/7 Crisis Intervention
24/7 Active Hotline
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Emergency Bail & Legal Accompaniment

Rapid-response legal defense, court accompaniment, and a revolving bail fund preventing prolonged, arbitrary detention of sex workers across Sri Lanka.

3,200+Emergency Releases
Peer Healthcare &
Healthcare & Harm Reduction
Island-Wide Outreach
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Peer Healthcare & Harm Reduction Access

Community-delivered sexual and reproductive health screenings, confidential HIV/STI prevention, hormone guidance, and non-judgmental counseling.

10,000+Health Checkups
Transitional Safe Houses &
Protection & Safe Shelter
Confidential Sanctuaries
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Transitional Safe Houses & Crisis Relief

Confidential safe shelters offering dignified transitional living, daily nutrition, and mutual-aid supplies for individuals escaping raids or sudden eviction.

8,500+Nights of Shelter
Decriminalisation &
Systemic Law Reform
Policy Action
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Decriminalisation & Policy Reform

Direct advocacy with parliamentary caucuses, national human rights commissions, and judicial benches to repeal colonial-era vagrancy ordinances.

14 BriefsSubmissions Drafted

Advocacy

AWC takes lived experience into policy spaces, including work to challenge laws that criminalise sex work, such as colonial vagrancy ordinances.

Community work

Peer-led healthcare, confidential shelter, crisis accompaniment, and day-to-day solidarity with female and transgender sex workers.

Research

Evidence, briefs, and reports that support the collective’s advocacy. Publications and downloads are kept in the Library.

Open the Library →

Capacity building

Legal literacy, peer education, and practical skills that help members defend their rights, health, and livelihoods.

Achievements

Impact

5,000+

Community members reached through direct support and peer defence

24/7

Crisis accompaniment for arrests, safety threats, and emergency intake

100%

Survivor-governed leadership of the collective

Programme-level achievements will be updated when AWC shares the latest project and impact records.

Beyond Sri Lanka

International activities

AWC also takes part in solidarity and exchange beyond Sri Lanka. Specific partnerships, visits, and international programmes will be added here with the updated organisational profile.

Knowledge That Shields

Toolkits, Research & Rights Guides

Knowledge is frontline protection. We publish practical pocket manuals in Sinhala, Tamil, and English outlining constitutional rights during police stops, legal defense protocols, and peer health guidelines.

📄Pocket Guide: Constitutional Rights During Police Arrests (Trilingual)
📄Community Healthcare & Harm Reduction Field Handbook
📄Law Reform Submission: Repealing Sri Lanka's 1841 Vagrants Ordinance
Browse All Downloads & Publications→
Legal rights publications