Colombo Mayor Vraie Cally Balthazaar has spoken out against harassment and misogyny directed at women in leadership, referring to recent attacks targeting Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

In a Facebook post shared alongside a photograph with the Prime Minister, the Mayor said that when women step into positions of power, “their work is rarely what gets discussed first,” adding that instead, “their personal lives are dissected, distorted, and weaponised.”

She noted that many women in public life do not claim to have a conventional work–life balance, stating, “Our lives have been shaped by the very roles we fought hard to earn. That is not a flaw. That is commitment.”