Global Tamil Women Forum appeals for justice and protection of Tamil women in Sri Lanka
Thursday, March 8, 2012
On this International Women’s Day, Global Tamil Women Forum (GTWF) reminds the world that Tamil women in Sri Lanka remain highly vulnerable to violence and sexual assault, given rise by the breakdown of rule of law and climate of impunity reigning in the highly militarised North and East of the country.
A report by International Crisis Group in December 2011 gave a comprehensive analysis of the grim situation facing Tamil women in Sri Lanka who are still facing a “desperate lack of security” in the aftermath of the war. “The heavily militarised and centralised control of the north and east – with almost exclusively male, Sinhalese security forces – raises particular problems for women there in terms of their safety, sense of security and ability to access assistance”, the report stated. Shreen Saroor-Convener of the Women’s Action Network, which represents 8 women’s organisations from the North and East, says the rise in violence against women can be attributed to collapse of law and order, lack of trust in law enforcement authorities and the breakdown of social structures.
Whilst access to international humanitarian organisations remains largely restricted and with victims unable to place trust in the police and judiciary system in fear of reprisal, the true extent of abuses and sexual harassment remains grossly underestimated. With the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) adopting a society based within a predominantly male, Sinhalese, military structure that operates with impunity, Tamil women have been left more
susceptible to gender-based violence and incapable of building their own capacity within the community.
Many women are still recovering from the scars of the war and those fallen victim to abuses have no means of redress and suffer psychological impact from what they have been through. The GoSL has done little to address accountability for the allegations of abuses during the final stages of the war or instil trust in the judiciary and civil administrations in the aftermath.
The UN Panel of Experts report, UK-based Chanel 4’s documentary “Sri Lanka’s
Killing Fields” and numerous other sources of evidence of sexual violence by the military during the final stages of the war have simply been rejected or denounced by the GoSL. GTWF firmly believes that only by supporting the UN Panel’s recommendation to establish an independent international mechanism can Sri Lanka address accountability
and advance rehabilitation for the victims of abuses.
It is often said that nations should be judged by how they treat the most vulnerable amongst their people and three years since the end of the war Tamil women in Sri Lanka continue to live in fear and face a desperate fate. The international response to the plight of Tamil women in Sri Lanka has largely been muted and accepting of GoSL’s approach to work within a militarised structure.
GTWF appeals to the international community to act now to protect and empower Tamil women who are victims to these heinous abuses and gender-based violence during the war and in the aftermath. The UN and member states need to make a bold stand to address accountability for the allegations of sexual violence during the final stages of the war, demand access for international organisations to ensure protection for the women in the North and East and urgently address their post-war needs and concerns.