Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne has requested all Members of Parliament to wear pink or pink-shaded attire tomorrow (22) in observance of Global Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is marked worldwide in October.
According to a statement issued by the Department of Communication of Parliament, the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has also arranged to distribute awareness badges to all MPs at the Members’ Entrance tomorrow.
The initiative aims to promote awareness and solidarity in the fight against breast cancer, encouraging early detection and public education on women’s health issues.
Earlier All female parliamentarians and parliamentary staff have decided to wear pink on a selected day during the next parliamentary week in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
They have also agreed to request a special debate in Parliament to raise awareness on breast cancer and promote early detection initiatives.
The decision follows a special awareness session on breast cancer prevention and related programmes, held recently in Parliament for the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, in line with the Global Breast Cancer Awareness Month, also known as “Pink Month.”
The session was held under the patronage of MP Samanmali Gunasingha, who was temporarily appointed as Chairperson of the Caucus due to the overseas engagement of the regular Chairperson, Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj.
During the session, the Director of the National Cancer Control Programme, along with a panel of medical professionals, briefed the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus on breast cancer prevention and control strategies.
Experts highlighted that breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women globally. In Sri Lanka, around 15 new cases are diagnosed daily, with approximately three fatalities each day. They underscored that early detection and timely treatment can lead to a cure and stressed the importance of breast self-examination (BSE) alongside regular medical screenings.
It was also revealed that awareness initiatives have now reached the school level under the “Pink Wednesday” campaign. The programme, first launched at Musaeus College, Colombo, encourages students to wear pink ties on the first Wednesday of every month to promote awareness.
The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus members emphasized the need to expand such initiatives nationwide to strengthen early detection and prevention efforts across all communities.
