My recent conversation with a women who lived in Jaffna her whole life, she explains to me how life has changed since the defeat of the rebels, Tamil Tigers, after the civil war in Sri Lanka. Some of the details may be disturbing, reader discretion is advised. This is merely to help raise awareness on current issues there, for equality and women rights.
“We use to feel much safer walking at night before, but since the militants are gone, we don’t feel like we are protected anymore.”
“You mean the Tamil Tigers, you support them?”
“Yes, they always protected us, mainly the women in Jaffna, now we are so afraid to even walk alone at night. Most of the militants were captured or killed. Today they are still around but in hiding, many are still being killed or ‘disappearing’ when found supporting the rebels.”
“How about the government?”
“No they don’t help us much, they are many corrupted officials or those who abuse and discriminated us, mainly the women. We are treated unfairly as we are Tamils, the outsiders here. Like the girls who got raped in the last years. Many by the locals, army and navy itself. Rapes and tortures happened much often now.”
“What happened then?”
“The worse incident was last year, a school student from Pungudutivu, she was only 18. She was gang raped by nine youth and then murdered, they even recorded it. The police said it was a family feud but they have covered up a lot of information from the public. It was so bad, they found her body in a jungle, they ripped off her clothes, her hands were bound behind her with her own school tie, they stuffed her mouth with piece of cloth and her legs were spread apart 180 degrees and tied to two separate trees. They are like animals!”
“What did the authorities do?”
“They arrested them, they were all from Colombo, but so much was covered up by the Ministers and until today there is still no justice for her family. Her mother has left her home as she fears of her own life now. For us women it’s been really hard since then, as we feel there is no one protecting us anymore. I use to cycle out at night and meet my friends, now I just stay home.”
This is not the first incident in Jaffna, the discrimination and injustice to the ethnic Tamil people is still a real occurrence today even after the so called peace after the war, mainly the women. Sri Lankan courts are notoriously slow and some rape cases are dragged out for 10 years. There is still no peace for women.
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(Kayts – Jaffna, Sri Lanka)
