Poverty and Youth Issues in Sri Lanka

Within the overall poverty agenda in Sri Lanka, the topic of youth has had a relatively high profile. This is mainly because of the widespread involvement of young people in the two violent insurrections that racked the country in the early 1970s and late 1980s. Subsequently, efforts have been directed at trying to explain what caused such an extreme reaction by young people. It has been increasingly acknowledged that elements related to poverty, unemployment, and marginalisation were crucial.
The overall purpose of this Brief is to discuss some of the most salient poverty issues that affect young people in Sri Lanka. The paper will be structured into five sub-topics. The first will examine the formal and societal definitions of ‘youth’ It will also explore what is meant by ‘poor’, against the backdrop of current debates on different aspects of and approaches to poverty. The second will set out the demographic profile of youth in Sri Lanka. The third will discuss issues that affect poor youth in different geographical spaces such as the south, north and east, and the plantation sector. The fourth will analyse the topic of youth unemployment. The final section will focus on the main government players and programmes addressing youth. It will also critically assess the present policy environment and identify areas for potential advocacy work