Description |
1 online resource (iv, 43 pages) : color map (digital, PDF file) |
Series |
Crisis Group Asia report ; no. 217 |
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ICG Asia report ; no. 217
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Contents |
Executive summary and recommendations. -- Introduction. -- Tamil women and the civil war. -- Gender and the Rajapaksa government. -- Women's insecurity in the North and East. -- What should be done. -- Conclusion. -- Appendices |
Summary |
Women in Sri Lanka's predominantly Tamil-speaking north and east are facing a desperate lack of security in the aftermath of the long civil war. Today many still live in fear of violence from various sources. Those who fall victim to it have little means of redress. Women's economic security is precarious, and their physical mobility is limited. 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. They have little control over their lives and no reliable institutions to turn to. The government has mostly dismissed women's security issues and exacerbated fears, especially in the north and east. The international community has failed to appreciate and respond effectively to the challenges faced by women and girls in the former war zone. A concerted and immediate effort to empower and protect them is needed |
Analysis |
Sri Lanka |
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Women |
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Ethnic groups |
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Human rights |
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Sex discrimination |
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Sex offences |
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Violent crime |
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Armed forces |
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Overseas item |
Notes |
20 December 2011 |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references |
Notes |
The trauma experienced by women in the north and east over the last five years has been immense. The brutal rule of the LTTE is over, and the fighting has come to an end. As a consequence, an opportunity for real improvement in the lives of women has emerged. But whatever gains might have been made, they are quickly disappearing as various new forms of oppression and exploitation have replaced the Tigers'. The militarisation of the north and east is one of the greatest sources of insecurity for women there. It also provides cover for men within the community to take control of women's lives and determine their futures. Tamil nationalists, and to some degree Tamil political representatives in general, remain preoccupied with the elusive political solution and are willing to highlight women's insecurity in its service without grappling with the deep prejudices and inequities within Tamil society that make women vulnerable. Some Tamil activists in the diaspora, too, have tended to use reports of violence against women in instrumental ways, to further delegitimise the Sri Lankan state, rather than reflect on the fuller range of problems and sources of insecurity and injustice for Tamil-speaking women. Until all of these actors, but the government especially, recognise the profound vulnerabilities women in the north and east face and take action to address them, a truly sustainable peace in Sri Lanka will remain out of reach |
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Title from cover screen (viewed on February 29, 2012) |
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Mode of access: World Wide Web |
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System requirements: Adobe Reader |
Subject |
Women -- Violence against -- Sri Lanka
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Women -- Violence against -- Political aspects -- Sri Lanka
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Ethnic conflict -- Sri Lanka
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Human rights -- Sri Lanka
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Ethnic conflict.
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Human rights.
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Women -- Violence against.
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Sri Lanka.
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Form |
Electronic book
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Author |
International Crisis Group
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