COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office

7 MARCH 2012 SRI LANKA
―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.‖
See also section above on Rape/domestic violence
See also Security forces and Paramilitary groups and Humanitarian issues and
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
HEALTH AND WELFARE
20.56 The State of the World‘s Children 2011 387 reported that in Sri Lanka the ―Antenatal care
coverage (%) 2005–2009… ‖ was respectively 99 per cent (―At least once‖) and 93 per
cent (―t [sic] least our times‖), while the percentage of ―skilled attendant at birth‖ was 99
per cent and the reported ―Maternal mortality ratio – Number of deaths of women from
pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births during the same time period… ‖ was
39.
See also Medical isssues
ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO WOMEN
20.57 The USSD 2010 report 388 noted that ―Services to assist victims of rape and domestic
violence, such as crisis centers, legal aid, and counseling, were generally scarce due to
a lack of funding.‖ It added that: ―Women appeared to be equally diagnosed and treated
for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.‖
20.58 On 20 October 2010, the Asian Human Rights Commission, in an article dedicated to
the implementation of Prevention of Domestic Violence 389 , observed inter alia that ―The
386
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, Executive Summary
387
UNICEF’s The State of the World’s Children 2011: Adolescence – An Age of Opportunity
http://www.unicef.org/sowc2011/pdfs/SOWC-2011-Main-Report_EN_02092011.pdf date accessed 31
May 2011, Table 8
388
US State Department 2010 Human Rights Report: Sri Lanka (USSD 2010), released on 8 April 2011,
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/sca/154486.htm , date accessed 11 May 2011, Section 6
389
Asian Human Rights Commission, Sri Lanka: The right without remedy -- views and reflections on
the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, 20 October 2010 http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrcnews/AHRC-ART-110-2010
date accessed 8 June 2011
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.
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