Sri Lanka’s conflict related sexual violence against Tamils remains unaddressed: UN report

The sexual violence, primarily by security forces, against Tamil civilians during Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil war remains largely unaddressed, with survivors still being denied justice 17 years after the fighting ended, according to a UN report.

The report, titled ‘We lost everything – even hope for justice’, follows a decade of monitoring and reporting by the UN Human Rights Office, and extensive consultations with survivors, local experts on gender-based violence, civil society and others.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had run a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. 

The report said that during the civil war, sexual violence was widely used, primarily by State security forces actors, as a method of intimidation, punishment, and control over conflict-affected populations. These acts largely targeted Tamil civilians and actual or perceived LTTE members, including women, it added.

The Sri Lankan government must urgently follow through on its commitment to advance domestic accountability and undertake transformative reforms, with specific attention to this issue, the report said.

The document finds that the lack of accountability, acknowledgement and reparations for gross human rights violations and wartime crimes has created a legacy of impunity that continues to shape the lives of survivors today.

Many victims from the conflict, which ended in 2009, continue to suffer chronic physical injuries, infertility, psychological breakdowns, and suicidal thoughts, the report said.

Survivors and their representatives described an enduring climate of surveillance, intimidation, and harassment, contributing to under-reporting, deep stigma, and the near-absence of effective remedies, it said.

“Sexual violence in conflict constitutes a serious violation of international law, which may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity. Sri Lanka is legally obligated, under multiple international treaties and commitments, to prevent, investigate, and prosecute such violations and ensure reparation for survivors,” it said.

The report asked the Lankan government to take immediate and concrete steps to publicly acknowledge past sexual violence committed by State forces and others, and to issue a formal apology.

The government should also implement survivor-centred reforms across the security sector, judiciary and the legal framework, establish an independent prosecution office, and ensure access to psychological and social support, the report added.