Sri Lanka, Jan. 29 -- Colombo Mayor Vraie Cally Balthazaar, who came out in defense of Stephanie Siriwardhana following her appointment to the six-member Prison Observation Committee, said women like herself must speak louder and more clearly against bullying on social media.

"What Stephanie is facing is not isolated. Like many women in the public sphere, she continues to be harassed online-part of a wider culture of misogyny that we urgently need to confront in Sri Lanka. We're going to have to be louder and clearer. No amount of bullying or shaming will derail the work of a woman who knows her purpose," the Mayor wrote in a Facebook post.

"I find it deeply disturbing to watch the media weaponise a woman's body just to push a political...