2004 Annual Report, NPDS Project.pdf - IDP SriLanka

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYMuch to the progress of the Project in the year 2004 was due to its renewed strategiesand also due to the expanded services, which focused into the protection andpromotion of the Human Rights of the IDPs and Returnees.The Project was engaged in providing national Protection for the IDPs and the Projectreceived complaints on Fundamental Rights and Human Rights. During the year 2004the Project received 2916 complaints on both Fundamental and Human Rightsviolations. At the beginning of the year 2004 the Project had 3840 and during the year2004 the Project has disposed 3358.In the year 2003 the Project analyzed the complaints received during the year andidentified certain aspects that deserved special attention. So in the year 2004, theannual planner much weight was given in to the identified issues.In the year 2004 the Project organized certain programmes especially targetingwomen and children. Issues such as domestic violence are high among the IDPpopulation and the Project conducted awareness programmes for women.A number of complaints were received by the Project in the year 2003 as well as inyear 2004 that some IDPs were unable to register for voting and also unable to casttheir votes. As the Parliamentary Elections were due in the April 2004 Project alertedthe relevant authorities regarding the problems and awareness programmes wereconducted in the areas targeting the respective officials as well as the IDPs. Althoughthe Project was not able to change the existing Election Regulations Procedure, butwas able to pressurize the State to provide certain concessions for the IDPs to casttheir votes and to get registered and caste their votes.There were a large number of complaints received by the Project regarding loss ofpersonal documents, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, deathcertificates and the difficulties the IDPs have to go through in their day-to-day livesdue to the loss of personal identification documents. The Project met the AdditionalSecretary of the Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, the RegistrarGeneral and the Commissioner for Registration of Persons and agreed to providethose personal documents within the agreed time period and it worked out as it wasplaned.Human Rights Animators can be considered as an achievement by the Project. Thistask force came in to being as it was evident that although numerous organizationsare providing services for the IDPs , it is ad hoc and it was felt that this hurdle can beovercome by empowering the IDPs to protect and promote their rights and also tocreate better communication between the IDPs and the Project. They are the IDPyouth chosen from welfare centers and resettlement villages and the Project gavethem training and are engaged in special activities conducted by the Project. It was mentionedby the Project Officers that all of them do not actively participate in the activities and some timesAnnual Report 2004National Protection and Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons ProjectHuman Rights Commission of Sri Lanka3