Living with Insecurity: Marginalization and Sexual Violence against Women in North and East Sri Lanka

This report provides a detailed profile of the situation of Tamil and Muslim women in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, four years after the end of the armed conflict. It draws on an extensive desk review of documented human rights abuses in Sri Lanka as well as first-hand interviews and focus groups with rights activists. In a climate of widespread impunity, local communities have been exposed to a variety of human rights abuses, including rape, intimidation and land grabbing – often with the active involvement of military forces. Women also face marginalization, poverty and limited livelihood opportunities. Until it is resolved, this chronic insecurity will continue to undermine any attempts at national reconciliation in Sri Lanka.