Gowrinathan, N; Cronin-Furman, K; (2015) The Forever Victims? Tamil Women in Post-War Sri Lanka. Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership: New York, NY, USA.

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Abstract

This report documents the negative impacts of six years of militarization on Tamil women’s lives in Sri Lanka. Based on over 50 interviews in the former conflict zone, we uncovered a very disturbing dynamic, in which efforts to protect women from sexual violence end up undermining their political and economic agency, making them even more vulnerable to victimization. Tamil women in Northern Sri Lanka still face the risk of rape and harassment by the security forces present throughout the region, but their lives are even more negatively impacted by the climate of fear and by a worrying uptick in violence against women within the Tamil community. The ever-present threat of violence by the military has led women to lead tightly circumscribed lives, limiting their daily activities in order to minimize their risk of sexual assault. Their reduced participation in public life keeps them in the home, where they are increasingly vulnerable to violence at the hands of the men in their lives, many of whom are also struggling with the after-effects of wartime trauma. And the measures taken by the community, by the state, and by international actors to address their needs have only made the situation worse. Hasty marriage for protection, well-being schemes that entail isolation and exposure to state agents, and disempowering livelihood programs have further undermined their economic and political position.

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