COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office

SRI LANKA 7 MARCH 2012
―Explicit allegations of domestic violence and sexual abuse do not make the headlines
as frequently – unless the security forces are implicated, in which case many Tamil
media outlets more readily pick them up – but those who have access to survivors hear
a steady stream. There is still significant stigma associated with being a victim
of sexual abuse or seeking separation from a husband, and impunity for violence
against women remains the rule – as is true across Sri Lanka. As a result, many
incidents are not reported at all, while others are exaggerated. This leaves
the Tamil community, the government and the rest of the country with an incomplete
picture of the experiences of women in the north and east.
―Crisis Group research for this paper suggests that in the final months of the war and
the initial stages of screening and internment camps in the Vanni, there were various
acts of sexual violence by the military, including rape of civilians and suspected cadres.
But as life in those crowded camps continued, sexual violence within the Tamil
community increased. Now, for women in the resettled villages across the north and in
the east, domestic violence within the community (including sexual
violence), as well as sex work and coercive sexual relationships more broadly are
serious problems. The fear of and potential for more widespread sexual violence
by the security forces also remain.‖
20.46 The SIGI Gender Equality and Social Institutions in Sri Lanka 378 , undated (website
accessed on 3 February 2012) noted that ―Legislation protecting the physical integrity of
women in Sri Lanka is quite strong‖ but added that ―Domestic violence, including
spousal rape, is an... area of concern. Incidents are rarely reported and legal protection
has been insufficient.‖
20.47 On 24 November 2011, the Daily News 379 reported that:
―Domestic violence is on the rise in Sri Lanka although only a few cases are reported
since most victims are reluctant to come forward with their tales due to social and
cultural reasons, Women in Need Executive Director Sumithra Fernando said at the
United Nations Conference Hall yesterday.
―‗Most victims of domestic violence are helpless since they have no protection at home.
Most people consider domestic violence as a family problem.‘
―According to the Forum Against Gender based Violence, victims of violence are largely
women.
377
International Crisis Group (ICG), Sri Lanka: Women’s Insecurity in the North and East, Asia Report
N°217
20 Dec 2011 http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/asia/south-asia/srilanka/217%20Sri%20Lanka%20-
%20Womens%20Insecurity%20in%20the%20North%20and%20East%20KO.pdf date accessed 9 January
2011, p25-26
378
Social Institutions and Gender Index, Gender Equality and Social Institutions in Sri Lanka, undated,
http://genderindex.org/country/sri-lanka date accessed 3 February 2012
379
Daily News, 'Domestic violence on the rise', 24 November 2011
http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/11/24/news51.asp date accessed 9 February 2012
150 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 3 February 2012.
Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section
to 2 March 2012.