Is this another crime against humanity?

The plight of war affected women’s in the northern Sri Lanka

| by Robinhood

( May 16, 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The aftermath of the war between the Tamil tigers and the SL government forces the plight of the war affected women is getting deteriorated or worse. Due to the fear of child recruitment by the LTTE many young girls and boys were given in marriage at early age of 15 & 16. During the last stages of the war many young people (teenagers) were forced by LTTE to go to the battlefront leaving their parents, wives and kids. When the government forces won the war most men and women who were young LTTE carders did not return home, may be killed, captured, surrendered or detained by government forces which there are no official record

As soon the war ended the government did not show any interest to develop the mindset of the rescued people in the Vanni. The GOSL (Government of Sri Lanka) said it was carrying out a rescue mission to save the people kept as a human shield or trapped in the conflict zone. As soon they were rescued they crossed the Nadikadal lagoon with greatest difficulty were put in menik farm in Vavuniya and immediately started to screen for suspects. During this many young people were taken into custody by force as suspects for possible involvement with the LTTE and forcibly taken away separating them from parents and wives. Some people who were engaged for one day were taken as suspects and detained. There were no proper records for those who were captured, surrendered in the vanni and detained in the Menik farm. There was no way for the people to contact or complain to whoever taken into custody by force.

Though government said it was a carrying out rescue mission and portrayed the forces carried out a humanitarian operation, this was only up to menik farm.

Before the victims could get over the last horrible stages of the Vanni battle the relatives of the victims were taken into custody as LTTE suspects by government forces inside Menik farm which caused some vanni victims to be mentally affected.

This was carried out in an inhuman way taking away the father leaving the wife and children, separating the son from mothers, separating the brother from the sister without adequate protection and care. Due to this many families split and this led many parents, children and the detainees to undergo a psychological trauma,

The picture depicts a weeping daughter cries when her died mother

was Dumped into the truck load of corpses and taken away

depression thinking the safety of their family.

Case 1 : The father was detained leaving the daughter alone where she was molested by neighbor,

Case 2 : Injured mother who was deprived and died later in the camp when her son was taken into custody

Case 3. Two young children aged six and nine left alone in the camp when the army took custody of the elder brother

The remaining displaced people were kept in the Menik farm provided with temporary shelter and foods (with many irregularities) for almost two years before resettlement begin last year. The people who witnessed the blood bath of their loved ones either being killed or captured were deprived mentally fear of own their security, security of the captured/detained family members, inability to contact the captured/detainees, unable voice against arbitrary arrest, inability to prove their innocence are some of the worse mental agony experienced by Vanni people inside the Menik farm. Though many natural deaths reported in the Menik farm many people died due to mental agony unable to see/contact their son/daughter/husband who were detained. Due to this many women’s (widows, elders) fell sick and affected by post war depression and traumatic disease. These people need urgent psychosocial counseling to improve their psyche, awareness before deploying them in livelihood. Failure to address these can affect them to be permanently traumatic disable to cure.

The GOSL as goodwill and to reduce the impact of post war stress could have given clemency for the captured and detained LTTE carders as a generosity or could have released from detention within a shorter period and allowed to join with parents/relatives which could have reduced the psychological trauma up to some extent.

Some detainees were sent to rehabilitation camps and some hardcore suspects were detained without trial. There are many cases reported that relatives don’t have death certificates to confirm the victims is dead. Some war affected women does not know the whereabouts of their husbands, parents whether dead, captured during the war or detained. They live with hopes and doubts that their husbands will come one day or he might be in the detention. This is a very pathetic situation for a human to live in hopes that their children would be returned one day.

No information is provided about the captured, detained carders or a way of inquiring about their well being. Under this circumstance the mindset of war affected women’s including widows and parents are mostly deprived. Some has fallen sick, depressed and psychologically affected thinking of their detained family members. This is supposed to be a worse mental agony anyone could experience which can be called another crime against humanity.

Women’s (widows) livings in such conditions are vulnerable to engage in extra marital affairs for living. There are cases reported the young widows are indulging in sex for living. There are many cases of child abuse and molestation goes unreported. It appears the post war reconciliation and reconstruction is not prioritized for critical need and urgency of the social need. Resettlement of the war affected has to be done in their original places in parallel with livelihood and social empowerment. Priority should be given to people who are engaged in traditional livelihood such as fishing, farming.

When males’ died during the war there were many women headed families found in the Vanni. These women are unable to engage in livelihood leaving their children’s alone. Providing livelihood has to be done with cautious for women headed families identifying their skills provided with training. Day care centers have to be established to take care of children’s whose parents engage in livelihood. Montessori schools have to be opened to give them the necessary pre education. There are many issues to be addressed which need urgent priority and proper infrastructure to rebuild the life of the people affected by war.

The government should allow civil societies and local and international ngo’s to engage in development works for rights based such as women/child/empowering rights and awareness raising projects other than construction of houses, wells and community centers. Failure to do so will cripple the society to be socially inactive. The need to empower the lives of these war affected women is critical to improve the mindset, inspire their lives with confidence so that they are mentally stable and fit to raise their children with sound mentality.

As a matter of fact this war has ended in a very ruthless, cruel way leaving pain, agony and misery leaving unforgettable footprints in the hearts of the Vanni people. The people of Sri Lanka may rejoice the winning of the war but the question remains how it was carried out, how the rescued victims treated and redressed.

I ask all readers to put yourself in the picture and consider pain of the Vanni people daughter watching her mother was taken away in front of her eyes for mass burials Readers will say that it was the same with the LTTE but the questions remains though it’s government forces or LTTE these crimes against humanity has happened in the soil of our country. Despite who did the crime the LTTE or the GOSL each person of the country is indebted to the tragedy because we have been just numb listeners, spectators watching these crimes against humanity.