By Kamani Jinadasa –
Kamani Jinadasa
Lifting The Veil Of Silence Around Sexual Violence Against Women & Girls In Sri Lanka
Three months ago in Vanni a 16 year old Tamil girl, Saranya Selvarasa passed away in the Kilinochchi Base hospital. Saranya was orphaned after the death of her parents. Her father died during the war in 2006 and after the war her mother passed away in an accident. Saranya and her two younger brothers were adopted by their grandmother, who had been doing the best she could to care for them under very difficult conditions. When Saranya’s grandmother tried to seek answers for her granddaughter’s death she was informed by the doctor who handled her case that she had been gang raped by at least three men. The police visited the grandmother’s home after Saranya’s death had been reported in the local media. They tried to pressure Saranya’s grandmother to conceal the gang rape and say instead that Saranya had died due to a mental disorder. The police then threatened to have the grandmother imprisoned on charges of “damaging Saranya’s character” if she failed to comply with their demands[1]. Her grandmother refused to comply with their threats.
As I write this article the news of another brutal rape and murder of another school girl in Jaffna, Vidhiya has surfaced[2].
The reality:
Saranya’s story and now Vidhiya’s, are not new to post war Sri Lanka. Horrific stories of sexual violence perpetrated against Tamil women and girls by the military have been seeping into our news feeds sporadically, mainly via international news agencies[3]. What makes it even more disturbing is that these stories are being brushed off, conveniently ignored and even discredited, claiming that they are nothing more than attempts to damage the government’s reputation. While rates of sexual violence against Tamil women, children and men have not been measured, there is substantial anecdotal and plausible evidence to indicate that this is happening on a regular basis with little or no accountability on the part of the perpetrators in the North. The manner in which the lives of victims change after such experiences cannot be truly captured. Who can a survivor turn to when the perpetrators are more likely to be the military or law enforcement officials?
At a wider level, a report which sought to capture prevalence rates of violence against women and girls (VAWG) reflected that 14% of men in the sample from four districts in Sri Lanka had admitted to perpetrating rape[4]. Among men who did admit to perpetrating sexual violence including rape, over half of the men stated they were motivated by feelings of sexual entitlement[5]. More alarmingly 28% of the men that had perpetrated acts of sexual violence including rape against women said that they had been in the 15-19 year age group at the time they committed their first rape. The same report calls attention to very high levels of impunity experienced by these men who admitted to perpetrating rape. Accordingly 97% of the men in these four districts had faced no legal consequences for their actions[6].
Given the conditions surrounding the lives of women and girls in the North, where there are an estimated 90,000 women headed households[7] one can only imagine how these similar statistics surrounding their vulnerabilities are exacerbated.
The problem:
Despite the fact that Sri Lanka elected the world’s first female Prime Minister and has very low maternal mortality rates across districts which have participated in national census’[8], police statistics reveal that registered incidents of rape saw an increase of nearly 20% during 2012-2014[9]. It is reported that every day, three to five children are raped in Sri Lanka. The total number of all crimes against children besides sex crimes include crimes of violence, abduction, trafficking and other offenses, increased by a dramatic 64% between 2011 and 2012.[10] It is time for us to admit that we are experiencing an epidemic of sexual violence in our country.
Given the resurgence of extremism and mysoginism that was allowed to prevail under the previous government’s regime, issues surrounding sexism and violence against women and girls were undermined or ignored. We had a former parliamentarian, Mervyn Silva stating that if women are sexually attacked it is due a fault in the way they are dressed. We currently have an MP, S.B. Dissanayake who vowed to strip a former female head of state of her clothes and make her run down the streets naked. Members of parliament that have been convicted of rape have been released. Another politician who was involved in the brutal gang rape of a Russian woman and murder of her British partner walked scot free for years until the British government applied tremendous pressure for some level of accountability. These are the lessons we are teaching other men in Sri Lanka. We have given men the license to go ahead and flaunt or exercise their feelings of sexual entitlement and power with absolutely no consequences. What does that say about us as a nation?
Following the news item about Saranya’s case, I started a petition to pressure authorities to take necessary steps for a proper investigation into her untimely demise[11]. Many brave women have come forward with their own experiences of rape and the steps they have taken to reduce the risk of their own daughters facing the same fate. Women have taken the burden of risk aversion into their own hands, through their activism, individually or through women’s organizations as there is little faith in the system that has prevailed in Sri Lanka to date.
The good news:
With the change of government I see a definite increase in reporting of VAWG. There is a better space for women’s organizations and activists like me to feel safer to take action when terrible incidents like this occur.
The new government has decidedly placed more qualified people in certain positions as per their experience and interests. The sum of these choices can be felt in Saranya’s case. Subsequent to the development and circulation of the petition Rosy Senanayake, State Minister of Children’s Affairs and Natasha Balendra, Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority flexed the national law enforcement apparatus to facilitate an impartial investigation into her death. Saranaya’s body was exhumed and taken to Colombo for forensic analysis and the post mortem report is expected to be produced on 18th May (Vavuniya Magistrates Court – Case No: AR 141/15). In a situation where the entire story would have been buried with Saranya, a proper legal process has been activated instead. In this case there is a higher likelihood that justice will be done.
On 15th May three brothers suspected in the rape of Vidhiya were arrested. I would like to add that while Vidhiya was murdered on 13th May it took two days for mainstream Sri Lankan media to pick up the story even though protests were held in Jaffna immediately after the news of the rape and murder emerged[12]. News of bribery, constitutional amendments and a foreigner’s visit to Sri Lanka make the headlines within minutes.
My question is though, what will it take for Sri Lankans to react collectively to the levels of violence that is meted out to women and girls every day? What will it take to motivate Sri Lankans to act in instances where violence is not meted out only towards their own kith and kin? What will it take for Sri Lankans to open our eyes to the realities of what women and little girls like Saranya and Vidhya are facing daily in the North and that their lives are as equally important as those in the South? What will it take for people to understand that impunity experienced by perpetrators of sexual violation of a person in the North can only mean that the same is most likely to occur in the South as lack of accountability will become the norm? What will each one of us do to make Sri Lanka safer for women and girls? When will we, as a nation, lift this veil of silence?
*Kamani is a Sri Lankan working at the International Rescue Committee, New York. The views expressed here are entirely her own and do not represent the views or opinions of the International Rescue Committee.
[1] http://www.colombomirror.com/?p=2709#.VVYvHUaM5QU
[2] https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/living-with-violence-rape-murder-in-jaffna/
[3] https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/torture-and-sexual-abuse-in-sri-lanka-four-years-after-war-frances-harrisons-bbc-documentary/; http://www.hrw.org/reports/2013/02/26/we-will-teach-you-lesson-0; http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2013/12/scars-sri-lanka-2013122492410187367.html
[4] de Mel, N., P. Peiris and S. Gomez (2013). Broadening Gender: Why Masculinities Matter—Attitudes, Practices and Gender-Based Violence in Four Districts in Sri Lanka. Colombo: CARE Sri Lanka
[5] Ibid, 67% of the male sample
[6] ibid
[7] http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2015/04/sri-lanka-widows-war-150421161203533.html
[8] http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sri_lanka_statistics.html
[9] http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/08/rapes-surge-sri-lanka-amid-weak-marital-laws-201481772359790802.html
[10] http://world.time.com/2013/08/13/sri-lanka-struggles-to-contain-a-growing-epidemic-of-child-abuse/
[11] https://www.change.org/p/requesting-prime-minister-state-minister-of-child-affairs-minister-of-women-s-affairs-and-igp-to-investigate-into-alleged-gang-rape-of-a-minor-saranya
[12] http://www.adaderana.lk/news/30879/three-nabbed-over-kidnap-rape-and-murder-of-student-, http://newsfirst.lk/english/2015/05/3-suspects-arrested-in-connection-to-rape-and-murder-of-a-student-in-jaffna-watch-video/95080
Amarasiri / May 17, 2015
Kamani Jinadasa –
RE: Rape & Murder Of Another School Girl In Jaffna
RE: Lifting The Veil Of Silence Around Sexual Violence Against Women & Girls In Sri Lanka.
“Saranya’s story and now Vidhiya’s, are not new to post war Sri Lanka. Horrific stories of sexual violence perpetrated against Tamil women and girls by the military have been seeping into our news feeds sporadically, mainly via international news agencies[3]. What makes it even more disturbing is that these stories are being brushed off, conveniently ignored and even discredited, claiming that they are nothing more than attempts to damage the government’s reputation. While rates of sexual violence against Tamil women, children and men have not been measured, there is substantial anecdotal and plausible evidence to indicate that this is happening on a regular basis with little or no accountability on the part of the perpetrators in the North. The manner in which the lives of victims change after such experiences cannot be truly captured. Who can a survivor turn to when the perpetrators are more likely to be the military or law enforcement officials?”
The Tamils are paying the price of the Defeat of LTTE and the price for Supporting the LTTE Terrorists. Even the LTTE Terrorists Reaped and killed many.The Best bet is to expose the culprits, and get some punishment. Alternately, can form a Minii Peoples Vigilante group that will provide justice by hunting down the culprits, on the sly, so that the culprits will know in the end they will be hinted down wither by the police or by the vigilante groups. Have you heard of the Assassins of the Middle ages?
While “Assassins” typically refers to the entire medieval Nizari sect, in fact only a class of acolytes known as the fidai actually engaged in assassination work. Lacking their own army, the Nizari relied on these trained warriors to carry out espionage and assassinations. The Nizari were feared by the Crusaders, who referred to them collectively as Assassins.
The LTTE Terrorists also Terrorised thousand of Northern Muslims, murdered them in Cold blood, clased them from their homes, and still 6 years after the defeat of the LTTE, still many are in the Jungle at Wilpattu. They have nor been helped to get back to their homes and home villages.
Forgotten People – The Evicted and Displaced North Muslims of Sri Lanka (English)
Published on Jun 1, 2013
The Evicted and Displaced North Muslims of Sri Lanka. The expulsion of the Muslims and other nations from the Northern province was an act of ethnic cleansing carried out by the Tamil militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organization in October 1990. In order to achieve their goal of creating a mono ethnic Tamil state in the North Sri Lanka, the LTTE forcibly expelled the 72,000 strong Muslim population from the Northern Province.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JV60McNQ9o
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cholan / May 17, 2015
@Amarasiri
Can you tell one incident when LTTE raped girls in North-East…
For your mosquito size brain ..till 2009 there was no robbery…thuggery..drugs…liquor incidents in NE after Murdepakse self proclaimed liberation all these are rampant WHY?
Every 5 Tamil in NE there is an army and 1000s of Poilce everywhere why the hell this happens? How?
This is why people in NE MUST control their own law and order….
Finally when LTTE was at peak if they wanted they could have kidnapped 1000s of Sinhala girls and women and used them at their will when you all were hiding under bed and shivering..but this never happened WHY?
When IPKF was in your mother land while you hugged your wives in fear …..IPKF wanted to razed down Kattankudi the highest populated place in the world …IPKF would have used every Muslim women then ….IT IS THE TAMILS IN THE SURROUNDING AREA told IPKF not to do this ….remember this …
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Native Vedda / May 17, 2015
cholan
“.till 2009 there was no robbery…thuggery..drugs…liquor incidents in NE after Murdepakse self proclaimed liberation all these are rampant WHY?”
When LTTE was running the show they were the enforcers of Mafia don VP. VP allowed some of their supporters to open taverns in and around Killinochchi area as long as they paid taxes.
The LTTE needed not to rob the people as long as public paid LTTE’s tax collectors what was due according to LTTE tax inspectors.
LTTE did prevent drug trading in Vanni area however LTTE also facilitated transshipment from one place are to another.
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Uthayan+ / May 17, 2015
NV,
“When LTTE was running the show they were the enforcers of Mafia don VP. VP allowed some of their supporters to open taverns in and around Killinochchi area as long as they paid taxes.”
I remember a 100% LTTE tax on beer and less on arrack and toddy. This was in Jaffna during the CFA when the LTTE collected tax here also. There was beer in Kili but I have forgotten the price.
I admit that I drank and thus supported the LTTE.
To my best knowledge the LTTE never tried to introduce prohibition in Jaffna.
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Native Vedda / May 18, 2015
Uthayan+
“I admit that I drank and thus supported the LTTE.”
What a great selfless sacrifice? Did you receive a Mamanithar (Great Human) accolade from VP?
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cholan / May 17, 2015
imagination should have a limit ….
TAVERNS run by LTTE you have tasted here…
Even youngsters were scared to make comments about girls on street ….
Don’t try to sell Murderpkasa propaganda here……
LTTE got funds from foreign Tamils all over the world not only from SL Tamils …..
Give me one information about rape by LTTE ..I challange you
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CHOLAN / May 18, 2015
your replies clearly indicate without any doubt you are a spy for Sinhala government …this is why you are against LTTE…….probably they were hunting for you…
LTTE never killed people for fancy …they use to give 3 warnings to stop …if not only they will go for them…..
Every person in N-E say today when LTTE was there this never happened ….that never happend..
Your favorite Sinhala government officially selling alcohol and cronies distributing drugs in N-E…this is the reality today
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Amarasiri / May 17, 2015
cholan
“Can you tell one incident when LTTE raped girls in North-East…”
If, true good for them.If raped, cannot complain, and the girl will be killed.
What about Child soldiers, Forceful abduction? Is not Rape? Of course not secual rape?
What about the killings? Expulsions, Ethinic Cleansing? Killing of Tamils who tried to escape the LYTT grip? Abduction?
The atrocities by LTTE are many, and everybody knows that.LTTE did not want to waste time raping. They just killed or expelled.
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cholan / May 17, 2015
No one either Murderpaksa & Co …or his previous Sinhala governments …nor international organization to this day reported rapes by LTTE ..you have the right to imagine …
1956 to 1983 what was done by your grandparents..father..cousins to Tamils allover Sinhal areas in Sri Lanka is the resons for the birth of LTTE ..accept your fault..
Yesterday what your Sinhala thug students done at The Eastern University is another way of paving the way to Tamils must guard themselves
Where were you when IPKF RAPED YOUR MOTHER LANKA COWARD .???.you all cardboard patriots were hiding under beds hugging your wives under beds .shivering .it was the TAMILS who have challenged the IPKF of poverty India and taught an unforgettable lessons …..
Just wait till September for the UN REPORT ….it is your own Sinhal army are giving evidences of massacre and rapes of Tamil helpless girls …
Cheers …
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Japwatch / May 18, 2015
Waste time raping? Seriously , you did not think before you typed right?
Thank you for expressing your level of respect with regard to women. You don’t have a mother or sister and you are living a sedentary life I suppose.
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Amarasiri / May 18, 2015
Japwatch
“Waste time raping? Seriously , you did not think before you typed right?”
LTTE Primary objective was killing. Raping may have been carried out by the individual LTTE Member, depending on the Degree of Hornoiness of the Member at that time.
When LTTE raided villages for killing, did they rape or just kill?
List of attacks attributed to the LTTE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_attacks_attributed_to_the_LTTE
The following is a list of attacks attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commonly known as the Tamil Tigers.[1][2][3] The attacks include massacres, bombings, robberies, ethnic cleansing, military battles and assassinations of civilian and military targets. The LTTE is a separatist militant group that fought for a separate Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka between 1976 and 2009. The rebel group has been banned by 30 countries, including the United States, Canada, India and the 27 member nations of the European Union.
Go to the Link.
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Japwatch / May 18, 2015
Amarasiri,
Tks for the link. I do chk wiki often for my work.but I am careful as the information on it is edited, added by just ordinary people like you and me. If LTTE terrorism is my line of interest, I would do a thorough research using various sources. I don’t like to rely on biased or second hand information. Never mind that as I am not interested in that at all.
I am interested in the reconciliation of the communities. Past is behind us. LTTE was destroyed according to many. So why fear that now? Now it is about how the Sri Lankan people, despite their differences are going to reconcile and co-exist. Put yourself on that part of the team and think how you would want things to change.
The LTTE raped and killed innocent and not innocent people so it is alright for the young school girl who may have nothing to do with LTTE to be brutally gang raped and killed. Is this what you are trying to say? Now that scares me to think that there could be others who think like you and for me to be living among them. Very scary.
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cholan / May 18, 2015
@Amarasiri
It is your grandfather..father..cousins actions from 1956 -1983 created LTTE….they never jumped from the sky in a day..
Do you know how many 1000s of Tamils raped between 1956 -1983 by your cowards ?
Now your Sinhalsae are trying to revive the LTTE ….thanks to them
Murderpakse got the help of 36 countries and banned chemical weapons from India to silence them because Sinhala army have no brain or muscle to challenge them ..it is the history of 30 years..but next time there will be no help from any corner remember this ..
Rapes..looting..thuggery ..drugs all at it peak now after May 2009 …before this people were living peace even women and girls went alone on streets during midnight without fear…
Sinhala law enforcement are not taking any action indeed they are the part of problem..yesterday Public attacked a police station at the place of this rape incident..just the beginning
N-E Law and order must be in the hand of Tamil officers …
By the way if your mother sister daughter get raped will you be happy about this ????
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Uthayan+ / May 18, 2015
“Every 5 Tamil in NE there is an army and 1000s of Poilce everywhere why the hell this happens? How?”
Where is the soldier allocated to my family?
We prefer a soldier who isn’t afraid of dogs and can take care of cows. Religion and caste of him or her are immaterial. I will call the civil co-operation office in Jaffna now and talk with them.
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Rajash / May 17, 2015
Amarasiri “The Tamils are paying the price of the Defeat of LTTE and the price for Supporting the LTTE Terrorists.”
So what you are accepting is that every Sinhalease now has the right to Rape a Tamil Girl and brutally murder her and that you will not hesitate to do that
You just confirmed what race you come form
“Even the LTTE Terrorists Reaped and killed many.”
There was not a single case of Rape during the LTTE time.the Tigeress were respected with dignity.
LTTE treated men and wmone equally.
LTEE implemeted Gender Equality in the NE
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Amarasiri / May 17, 2015
Rajash
“So what you are accepting is that every Sinhalease now has the right to Rape a Tamil Girl and brutally murder her and that you will not hesitate to do that “
“You just confirmed what race you come form “
You need to read what was written. This is a Law and Order issue. They were protecting Rapists in the South too.
Please Read, what Amarasiri wrote.
“Alternately, can form a Minii Peoples Vigilante group that will provide justice by hunting down the culprits, on the sly, so that the culprits will know in the end they will be hinted down wither by the police or by the vigilante groups. Have you heard of the Assassins of the Middle ages? While “Assassins” typically refers to the entire medieval Nizari sect, in fact only a class of acolytes known as the fidai actually engaged in assassination work. Lacking their own army, the Nizari relied on these trained warriors to carry out espionage and assassinations. The Nizari were feared by the Crusaders, who referred to them collectively as Assassins.”
It is the rapists who should be caught and punished. This is a Law and order Issue.
Amarasiri point was that the Community should form Vigilante Groups and let it be known that if the Law will not punish them, the Vigilantes will on the Sly, the hunt down the rapists and punish them.
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CHOLAN / May 17, 2015
Sinhala cowards who were hiding under beds for 30 years now think they have every right to loot..kill..any Tamil of their choice …simply you have a cardboard army in N-E….
Hello every killing..rape of Tamils the person(s) must pay a price….
First Murderpakse and Doggabaya to ICC then rot in the prison somewhere …
Look these two cowards are now shivering ….
Then next level action will follow ……
Now rascals are officially opening Liquor shops and distributing drugs in N-E………
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Rajash / May 18, 2015
Amarasiri
I am indeed quoting form wh
at you wrote
this is what you wrote
“The Tamils are paying the price of the Defeat of LTTE and the price for Supporting the LTTE Terrorists”
and the title of the article is
“Rape & Murder Of Another School Girl In Jaffna”
so either
(a)you mirror the race you come form
(b)or you want to blame LTTE for everything that is going wrong in Sri Lanka
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Amarasiri / May 18, 2015
Rajash
“so either (a)you mirror the race you come form (b)or you want to blame LTTE for everything that is going wrong in Sri Lanka “
You need to think outside the LTTE/Tamil Cocoon you are in.
1. This is a law and order issue, coupled with Double Standards.
In the South as well, the MaRa and the cronies, applied different sets of Law and order. Same in the North and East, pur probably got away with it. The Politicians raped tourists, women, killed their men, etc.
LTTE too got away with murder, abductions, killings, ethnic cleansing etc. and the Norwegians still supported them.
2. When the Russians defeated Germany, the Russian soldiers raped and killed many Germa women.I do not know for how long it went. This doid not happen when the Nazus were in power. Of course they killed Jews, and many others.
So, because the Tamils currently have no Protector, no black tigers to hunt down rapists, the rapists are not risk.
With LTTE, you have other prices to pay. You know very well what they are.
In Saudi Arabia, they still behead rapists.
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Rajash / May 18, 2015
Amarasiri “You need to think outside the LTTE/Tamil Cocoon you are in”
I am in fact thinking outside of LTTE/Tamil Cocoon.
You are the one who got the dead tiger by its tail and cannot let it go.
so respond to my statement below
The Tamils are paying the price of the Defeat of LTTE and the price for Supporting the LTTE Terrorists”
and the title of the article is “Rape & Murder Of Another School Girl In Jaffna”
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Amarasiri / May 18, 2015
Rajash
“and the title of the article is “Rape & Murder Of Another School Girl In Jaffna”
If the tiger was not dead, this, rape and murder, probably would not happened. That is basically Amarasiri’s point. It will solve the rape problem, and will create other problems, such as ethic cleansing etc.
In the absence of the (dead) tiger, and in the absence of Law and Order, the people need to form Vigilante Groups specifically to hunt down rapids who are not caught and punished by Law and Order.
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Rajash / May 19, 2015
Amre “If the tiger was not dead, this, rape and murder, probably would not happened. “
I agree with you. Perhaps its the way you put it “Tamils are paying the price for supporting…”
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Amarasiri / May 19, 2015
Rajash
This is a Law and order Issue. Furthermore, this may have something to do with Pornography as well.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/08/rapes-surge-sri-lanka-amid-weak-marital-laws-201481772359790802.html
Rapes surge in Sri Lanka amid weak laws
Incidents of rape have increased 20 percent in last two years as current law fails to criminalise domestic sex attacks.
Dinouk Colombage | 17 Aug 2014 11:31 GMT | Asia, Sri Lanka, Rape, UN
This is a Law and order Issue. Furthermore, this may have something to do with Pornography as well.
Women activists say existing laws in the country have encouraged domestic sexual violence [EPA]
Colombo, Sri Lanka – Recent allegations that a naval officer in the northern city of Jaffna raped an 11-year-old girl have cast a spotlight on the growing problem of sexual violence in Sri Lanka.
According to police statistics, incidents of rape have increased by nearly 20 percent in the last two years, with 4,393 cases registered during 2012-2014 as compared to 3,624 in 2010-2012.
In the Jaffna case, police confirmed they had apprehended and brought before the courts a suspect attached to the navy, but refused to comment further.
“While this particular case has received significant media attention, thousands of others do not,” said professor Savithri Fernando, who counsels victims of sexual abuse.
“Sexual abuse is rampant,” she told Al Jazeera citing the Asian Human Rights Council research on rape in the island nation.
Preethi (name changed) said she was raped while working in a garment factory in the capital, Colombo. A few male supervisors at the factory treated the mostly female staff as “personal attendants”, she told Al Jazeera, adding that the verbal abuse led her to lodge a formal complaint with factory authorities.
“An inquiry was held, but many women employees refused to comment against these men. Finally they decided to transfer me to another section,” she said.
“It was a week later that two of the men who I had lodged a complaint against raped me,” she told Al Jazeera. Preethi said she was afraid to report the incident for fear of losing her job, although she left the factory several months later.
“I am in search of new work, but I am afraid to take a job at another garment factory. There is no protection for women,” she said. “I was not the first to be raped and I am scared that it will happen again.”
Buddhika Fernando, manager of the Star Clothes Merchants where Preethi worked, told Al Jazeera that it was an internal matter and “was dealt with”, refusing to comment further.
Poor conviction rates
According to a 2013 UN Survey, which explored violence against women throughout the Asia-Pacific region, nearly 15 percent of Sri Lankan men said they had committed rape. Of those, 65 percent said they had done so on more than one occasion. But of all the men surveyed, only five percent said they had been arrested and jailed for their crimes.
Accoding to article 365 of the country’s penal code, those found guilty of grave sexual abuse can face rigorous imprisonment. Perpetrators can be jailed for up to 20 years and must pay compensation to the victim.
“Cultural norms in Sri Lanka have contributed to the unwillingness of sexual-abuse victims to report these crimes,” said Fernando, who teaches at the University of Colombo. “Very often, a woman will be shunned by her local community when they learn of such an act,” she said. “If a woman is unmarried, it will be near impossible for her to find a husband if it becomes public knowledge.”
Very often, a woman will be shunned by her local community when they learn of such an act. If a woman is unmarried, it will be near impossible for her to find a husband if it becomes public knowledge.
– Savithri Fernando, a counsellor for sexual abuse victims
Weak laws
Police spokesperson, Ajith Rohana, told Al Jazeera that police have established a children’s and women’s bureau to investigate acts of sexual violence. He could not confirm the frequency of rapes in Sri Lanka, but noted: “Any time a rape is reported, we immediately investigate and arrest the perpetrators, who will then be produced before the courts.”
Fernando says existing laws in the country have encouraged domestic sexual violence, noting it is not illegal in Sri Lanka for a person to rape their spouse.
Many rapes in the country occur between spouses, leaving the victims with no legal protection, she said.The penal code in Sri Lanka only criminalises marital rape if the wife and husband are legally separated. Otherwise it is not recognised as a crime.
One woman who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity said she was raped by her husband, a part-time labourer, on several occasions.
“Our finances are tight and often he resorts to alcohol when he cannot find work. When he is drunk he attacks me,” she said.
“I must now either divorce him or endure this, [but] if I divorce my husband I will be forced to leave my home… I have little work here and do not think I can get any elsewhere.”
In April, Sri Lanka’s Minister for Child Development and Women’s Affairs, Tissa Karalliyadda, proposed that a rapist be bound by law to marry their victim, provided the victim consented in court. Karalliyadda told Al Jazeera that this would “discourage perpetrators from such acts, and of course the victim had the option to refuse to marry”.
He has also proposed tougher sentences for rapists, though the proposal has yet to come before parliament.
But Sepali Kottegoda, the executive director of the feminist group Women and Media Collective, said such a law would not “dissuade” rapists.
“No victim would want to marry a person who has sexually abused them. It will amount to nothing,” Kottegoda told Al Jazeera, adding the minister should resign for suggesting such an anti-rape law.
“This is not the first such comment made by the minister. It demonstrates that he either does not take his job seriously or is unable to perform his duties effectively,” she said.
Source: Al Jazeera
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Rajash / May 18, 2015
Amare
plato has provided explanation to your posting….so ignore my comment below
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Ajith / May 17, 2015
You are a liar. During LTTE time girls and women were able to move free even in midnight.
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Bala / May 17, 2015
Amarasiri
You would want to add to this that the problem is not only with the Politicians or the terrorists. It is with us. Kamani would benefit from watching ‘Ran Depeya’, and similar things, so she gets first hand experience on how children of this country learns to treat the opposite sex and for that matter same sex human beings. They are second only to films produced in Tamil Nadu (and watched by NE population in SL)
It is obvious that she writes from another world. Whilst it is not a thing to celebrate, the reported rise in incidents is directly related to the procedure introduced by the NCCP. As they provided a mandatory reporting framework for police, and the women’s and children’s desk introduces probably during the recent period added to reporting and prosecusion.
How did you get to know that there is a rise? is it the fault of the government when it increases the possibility of reporting and prosecution? So Kamani assumes that the government first increased sex offences and then applied mechanisms for reporting and prosecution. Great logic
It is easy to attack the obvious, and they are the Politicos. They must be brought to books. You miss the society and its most important manufacturer of consent: the Media
The continued victimisation of the Tamil and make them all appear in need of ‘psychotherapy, counselling and support’ is one good way of fostering learned helplessness and prevent reconciliation and true healing
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Dr,Rahasingham Narendran / May 17, 2015
Decades of violence- State tolerated/sponsored riots; the JVP insugency and the reactions of the State; the Tamil militancy and the reactions of the State; criminalisation of politics and law enforcement; the enfeeblement of the judiciary; and the impunity that criminals enjoyed under State patronage , have all enfeebled the conscience of this nation. We yet feel sorry, but we are not shocked. We have not become immune to violence, but feel helpless. We are as society,victims, as much as the individuals who have been brutalised are. Thank God, most of us can yet feel and say, ” Aiyo pau, Aiyo paavan or Sin no”.
Further, rape during the war was a different phenomenon to what has unfolded in the north post-war. A war-battered society is self destructing from within and is being gutted. Alcoholism, drug addiction, easy money in the hands of a few, misuse of the Internet, uneducated minds , sexual preoccupation/perversion, widespread poverty, frustration with individual circumstances and the new found sexual freedom sans the education that has to go with it , in various permutations and combinations, have become the spectre haunting the north and east.
Sri Lanka has been brutalised and needs much repair, more so in the north and east. There has been no effort to heal the war- affected living by the State, the Tamil political establishment and Sri Lankan society as a whole. This is our tragedy.
I was dismayed to hear the NPC Minister for agriculture proclaiming in connection with Vidhya’s brutal rape and murder that the women were safe under the LTTE dispensation. However, he did not elaborate that this was on account of the brutal methods the LTTE deployed to enforce its writ. Does he want to solve a multi-faceted social problem with the brutal application of law in an arbitrary manner! Yes, policing is weak, sparse,ineffective and inefficient. Civilised policing is also a new phenomenon to the generation born and raised in the north and east, used to the methods of the armed forces, the LTTE and the paramilitary groups.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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Kumar / May 17, 2015
Rajasingham,
How gullible for you to think that the problem relates to “Policing is weak, sparse, ineffective and inefficient.”
Did you ever think “Why only in the North”?
Do you see such incidence of rape and murder of school children and inaction by police even remotely in proportion in the rest of the country that possibly accounts for 80% or more of the country’s population with fewer police personnel per capita?
Why do you say policing is “sparse” in the North? Are you not proposing more police personnel to be mobilized in the North? Do you truly believe police per capita or police per square mile is any less than in the rest of the country — don’t you think the reverse is true? Is this what you claim as your superior sense of “ground-reality”?!
The issue is not “weak, sparse, ineffective and inefficient” Policing — The issue relates to “administered partiality and intentional tolerance.”
Don’t be an apologist once again, hoping to curry favour!
You remained a staunch, relentless apologist for the MR Regime for almost the entirety of its duration, abandoning it at just the tail end not unlike vermin abandoning a wrecked ship! Thought you had wised about on the apologist’s role!
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Uthayan+ / May 17, 2015
Dr Narendran,
“I was dismayed to hear the NPC Minister for agriculture proclaiming in connection with Vidhya’s brutal rape and murder that the women were safe under the LTTE dispensation. However, he did not elaborate that this was on account of the brutal methods the LTTE deployed to enforce its writ.”
The minister is one of the hardliners of Jaffna ITAK in case you don’t know. It would be interesting to know how close he was to the LTTE during the war. I hope that the President takes over the management of Chunnakam water problem because we don’t seem to be able to solve the problem ourselves.
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sam / May 18, 2015
Re:I hope that the President takes over the management of Chunnakam water problem because we don’t seem to be able to solve the problem ourselves.
What is the guarantee that the President will solve the “Chunnakam water problem” Successive presidents, prime ministers and hundreds of Ministers (Sri Lanka has the highest number of Ministers and Junior Ministers)since 1948 were unable or UNWILLING to solve a single problem of the Tamils!!!
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Uthayan+ / May 19, 2015
sam,
“What is the guarantee that the President will solve the “Chunnakam water problem” Successive presidents, prime ministers and hundreds of Ministers (Sri Lanka has the highest number of Ministers and Junior Ministers)since 1948 were unable or UNWILLING to solve a single problem of the Tamils!!!”
No guarantee at all. The way I see it is that we Tamils cannot even find out is the water contaminated or not despite having had since 2008 to study the problem. Like Dr Murali I think that there should be an independent study by for instance WHO.
How much work is needed to empty and clean for instance 40 wells and then take water samples to a lab? 40 days for 3 men with a pump?
Have Tamil politicians managed to solve our problems? We have been killed, disappeared, left our homes, maimed, became insane, raped etc. Where are the results of this?
As a young boy I heard of relatives and neigbors having been shot and some disappeared. This was done by Tamils from the same villages. The trigger boys have all been killed but some of their leaders are still around.
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Lanka Liar / May 17, 2015
They say this never happened during the time of LTTE. But they fail to say that this never happened before LTTE. Only it happens after LTTE. So somebody is the cause of this ? Guess who. You cant do experiments with a society with guns slogans and few men’s thoughts. A societies culture evolves it should be nurtured by character building guidance from leaders. This is another exposition of violence. Whoever promoted that for whatever reason should answer for that.
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KumarR. / May 18, 2015
Lanka Liar & Rajasingham.
Do you not remember the periodic killing, raping and pilaging that happened periodically to Tamils in the South way, way before LTTE?
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Lanka Liar / May 18, 2015
One rape doesn’t justify another. or tolerance of one form of violence doesn’t justify tolerance of another type of violence for what ever reason it was carried out. Mass killings of people by bombs in the name of some ideology is equally wrong of any mass killing for any reason. Killings rape violence are all wrong. You cant use these to solve problems. There are norms that you should follow. If you don’t condemn one violence you don’t have the right to condemn another. You simply have to live with it. If you didn’t condemn is when it happened at least you should have the guts to blame the people who promoted it at least now. Do it if you have a spine?
If you want to understand what it is ask the dear ones of the victims ? They will give you a very good answer. Good luck.
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Kumar R. / May 19, 2015
Lanka Liar,
You state “If you don’t condemn one violence you don’t have the right to condemn another.”
If so, then how come the Sinhala politicians have the right to condemn LTTE – wasn’t it the Sinhala thugs and politicians who committed horrible atrocities and violence against Tamil civilians periodically starting in 1956, way before LTTE? How come the silent majority who did not condemn the violence on Tamils from 1956 onwards then open their eyes only after LTTE resorted to violence. What right do they have to condemn LTTE?
Are you suggesting Sinhala politicians and the silent majority are spineless? !
Do you have any idea why the violence on Tamil civilians stopped after LTTE came to the picture?
While LTTE was totally at fault in resorting to violence to counter state sponsored violence, and in establishing draconian jungle-law to meet their their ends, do you know how many Sinhala politicians and internationals praised LTTE after they witnessed first-hand many of LTTE’s success and selflessness in administrative and operative efficiencies? In fact, I recall a popular Sinhala politician stating that the Sinhala government has much to learn from LTTE what good governance is?!
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Lanka Liar / May 19, 2015
Well you say somebody resorted to violence after somebody. You know the outcome. Who suffered more. Who lost everything? It looks like you have even lost the ability to think? Yes everything was done in front of the gun. The guns are gone now. and the rapes …. have come? Before LTTE there were no guns no rapes no murder among the Tamils. Is int it? For a short time you had the show. The show is over ? NOw see what a calamity this experiment has resulted in. Now you try to blame somebody? Blame the body who promised TE and the heaven.
This is as simple as I can go. If you don’t understand this it shows that you too have lost something because of somebody? Intelligent men go to war to win. Fools go to war and lose and blame somebody. Take responsibility for all the failures and learn from it.
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Kumar R. / May 19, 2015
Lanka-Liar,
O.K. – I understand, you have no defense for your original thought and pseudo-wisdom “If you don’t condemn one violence you don’t have the right to condemn another” – and so you have to begin rambling about some other “this or that”.
That is fine. Let me see if I can enlighten you a little, on your delayed, second version of wisdom.
There were guns — loads and loads of them — with JVP uprising who went to war. By your definition, they lost and so they were fools (Digressing for a moment, note that nearly all of them were from the “cream of the crop” 2% or so selected to enter University from the many thousands of Sinhala youth who had qualified to sit the entrance exam. The number who qualified to sit the exam is again a miniscule of the student population. If you define these select JVP activists, the 2% “cream of the crop” of Sinhala society as fools, the implication of that to the IQ of the rest of the Sinhala population becomes quite unflattering – don’t you agree?)
Anyhow, getting back to your new escapist-excuse attempting to palm off issues of “abysmal governance and servile intellects” as issues arising from guns and losses-in-war, do you think the Sinhala society was condemned to “rapes & killings” just because JVP, the “fools & losers,” brought guns and violence into the picture? Why not? Would you like to try finding another, third version of pseudo-wisdom excuse as absurd as your two previous attempts. Give it a little thought.
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Jagath Fernando / May 17, 2015
We are catching the Indian syndrome !!!
Punish the culprits
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Native Vedda / May 17, 2015
Jagath Fernando
Of course you are, as you know you share their gene, myth, culture, religion, fashion, culinary, political culture, cinema, language, ……………. etc.
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Amarasiri / May 17, 2015
Jagath Fernando
“We are catching the Indian syndrome !!! Punish the culprits “
Yes, that is the solution.
The Problem is that the culprits are under the belief they will not be caught or if caught will not be punished.
The there need to be multiple merch samis,for punishing the culprits by the Community at large, if the Law and Order authorities do not do it.
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Plato. / May 17, 2015
A very commendable piece Kamani. We need more people like you to highlight this vicious cycle of Rape and Murder.When will our collective conscience react?
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mike / May 17, 2015
Plato
“We need more people like you to highlight this vicious cycle of Rape and Murder”.
We should consult Medamulana Meeharaka, Mahendra Percy Rajapassa. Hopefully, he may be of great help because he is very knowledgeable on this subject!
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Aia / May 17, 2015
Thank you Kamani for highlighting plight of women in SL, and the war ravaged part in particular.
Reading this cruel news, I was thinking how many girls lives would it takes more before the law and order situation is brought under control in these islets. Only a few years ago was a girl in her thirteen or so raped and brutally murdered. What happened to those who accused was not known. At least those who allegedly to have committed the crime in this case have arrested. Although it may proven to be not associated with any paramilitary group, the culture it left and the young men that accustomed to, seems to last for a while and, not to mentioned what Police have accustomed to, with the standard response they seem to give to the desperate parents who go seeking their help at the need of the hour. Kept under his control with the help of forces over a long period of times, Douglus has lot to answer for the situation prevailing even right now, he switched over to winning sides doesn’t help as he bailed out his thugs using his political nexus.
At a national level, the likes of SB Dissanayake, Mervyn are still mingling with those who in power is a disgrace and if a former president of a country can be meted out of kind of treatment she had to, do we expect the old grand mother of the orphan girl referred above will get justice, we as a nation a long way to go, comes to men attitude towards women.
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Non PhD / May 17, 2015
Thank you for highlighting the children of lesser God within Sri Lanka. You as a real patriot of mother Lanka has analysed and articulated well in simple English the social and law and order issues facing the ordinary citizens. Coincidentally the timing of your piece coincides with ” victory day ” issue and ” Srisena Mix ” national anthem issue created by the EP University Students, which is good in many ways.
I totally agree with your ” The good news ” section. I’m neither a PhD holder nor, a political scientist or an expert in Terrorism or a Sri Lanka diplomat or a former journalist of Lake House.
For the pertinent question you raised in your concluding para do the following experts have any answers ? :
DJ, HLDM, Rajiva, Tamara, Rohan, Malinda, Hema et el.
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Afzal / May 17, 2015
What a brutal death, to satisfy ones sadistic urges an innocent girls, someones daughter someones sister has to pay the ultimate price. Our society is selfish and backwards. They wont flinch on such news as long as it has not effected their immediate family.
The problem lies in how we are brought up, take for instance the ragging in the universities only the cream of A/L toppers get in to universities and what do they do ? it’s like ritual they must rag the new comers and the new comers in turn rag in subsequent years. The term “Rag” in universities must be renamed as “Torture” We do not respect one another. We don’t care about others suffering as long as our own needs are fulfilled.
I am not sure whether the 3 brothers arrested are the real culprits or whether it is based on planted evidence. This type of rape and murder happens all over the island. Our society has deteriorated drastically in recent decades, political culture prevalent in the recent past has added to that fact. A grass root level effort is needed to correct this mentality, it is going to take time. But 1st we have to start the effort.
Only time Sri Lankans come together as one is when communal feelings are disturbed. There is no shortage of patriotic mobs for those lowly acts.
Lets hope these lessons are taken as lesson learned and we mover towards a better society where rights of every person is respected. Law should be implemented in full force ans swiftly in such heinous crimes.
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shankar / May 17, 2015
The police visited the grandmother’s home after Saranya’s death had been reported in the local media. They tried to pressure Saranya’s grandmother to conceal the gang rape and say instead that Saranya had died due to a mental disorder. The police then threatened to have the grandmother imprisoned on charges of “damaging Saranya’s character” if she failed to comply with their demands[1]. Her grandmother refused to comply with their threats.
Why are these policemen not charged and arrested and imprisoned?
What the bloody hell is yahapalanaya doing.maybe it only applies to sirisena’s brother who got a plum job in Srilanka telecom ,and if his daughter was ever gang raped.
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Native Vedda / May 17, 2015
shankar
“Why are these policemen not charged and arrested and imprisoned?”
Institutional Corruption so entrenched that the police, prosecutors and defense lawyers collude with each other. Honest policeman have no chance of doing their duty when they are constantly put under duress by Colombo (both politicians and high ranking officers).
In most cases money and influence determine the outcome of most cases.
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Uthayan+ / May 17, 2015
shankar,
“Why are these policemen not charged and arrested and imprisoned?”
Is there a written police complaint about them? Are there witnesses? If it is grand mothers word against the word of 3 policemen there is no point to take action because nothing will happen. Publicity might still be good.
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cholan / May 17, 2015
Yes when the incident is concerned TAMILS other language press in Sri Lanka don’t care…..
When a Tamil arrested in a foreign land ..title SRI LANKA TAMIL ..when a Sinhala man arrested for a crime ..title SRI LANKA ..this type of sick ..racist media are here
Yesterday 100 Sinhala students mercilessly attacked government servant at Eastern University for playing National anthem in TAMIL.
.Who the hell are these thugs to decide which national anthem to be played ???
No shit media mention this ..and no police action against this thuggish students..
Imagine they are living in the 100% Tamil area and engaged in routine attack on Tamil students even don’t care about University rules and regulations ….after all there is a police unit inside the university ..but they sleep it seems …
Who gave guts to these Sinhala students to behave like this ..suppose Tamils attacked Sinhala students within minutes news will flash in SL media ….
Thanks for these Sinhala students for their attack….your grandfather..father cousins attacked innocent Tamils from 1056-1983 which created LTTE now you are telling Tamils to protect themselves by any means because never ever Sinhala security will help TAMILS…
Thanks to the Tamils in the East for their patience ….but how long they will tolerate these incidents….
How do you describe this ? What -ism is this ?
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mahen / May 17, 2015
We all have given our votes to our president Mithripala Sirisena with lot of hope for a better Sri Lanka… I whish our votes are not wasted, hope he will do the need full to bring the justice… If this happen to any of their daughter’s they won’t keep silence.. Indeed all girls in our country are daughters of mother Sri Lanka…
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Japwatch / May 17, 2015
What has the Women’s affairs and child protection authority done about this matter?
Where is Rosy Senanayake? On an overseas trip? She has 2 daughters as well. If something like this happened to her daughters would she keep quiet? While I appreciate the fact that Rosy gives an elegant image to the world with her Indian saree attire, I think that she should do justice to the ministerial post she was given. Just giving hands-outs to a group of people in the north and east is not going to change anything in their lives.
I noticed another thing when watching the news in the local media. From what I understand, the Hindu ladies in the north and east wear the red pottu to indicate they are married. But what I saw was almost all of them are without that. Does that mean that they have lost their husbands? If that is so, it really is sad. Is there someone plotting to make this happen? Very sad indeed.
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Native Vedda / May 17, 2015
Japwatch
Don’t blame the women for crimes committed by men.
As you know men’s willy works faster than their brain.
Prevention is most welcome than blaming each other.
I suggest all men should be fitted with chastity belts and the keys should be given either to their mothers or mother in laws.
State should provide chastity belts free of charges and continuously monitor all those men from tempering with these unfashionable accessories.
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cholan / May 17, 2015
Bravo good idea …
Why not distribute chesty belts to Sinhala girls and women going for the service of Arabs ……..so that nothing to worry and can send more and more girls to M:E…..
Also Sinhala diaspora will come very strong in M.E….and this money can be use to change governments here
Bangladesh and Indonesia though Islamic countries have already banned housemaids exports so Buddhist girls can replace this vast potential …….
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Native Vedda / May 18, 2015
cholan
“Why not distribute chesty belts to Sinhala girls and women going for the service of Arabs ……..so that nothing to worry and can send more and more girls to M:E…..”
So you want all the Sinhala girls to wear chastity belts for their own protection but not urge the Tamil/Mulims female wear it.
I don’t understand your logic.
Please bear with for I am bit thick and don’t understand many things.
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Japwatch / May 18, 2015
Native Vedda and Cholan,
Chastity belts? Come on, give me a break. Rape is a problem that afflicts women of all races, religion, ethnicity. I am not sure if you know this but in Japan, it is not considered a big deal:( one of the reasons is that the japanese woman does not understand the difference between rape and a sexual intercourse. So let us not go deep into that.
In the current circumstances, the women in the war-tainted parts of the country are deprived of the feeling of security. Mind you, it is a school girl. The perpetrators should be hanged or punished severely so that the others can see what happens when a heinous crime like that is committed in the future.
The master-mind behind this is very obvious. Let his followers know the consequences of following their master.
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cholan / May 18, 2015
Sinhalase love to send their wives…sisters..daughters who can’t speak a word in English ( Thanks to Bandaranayaka `s Sinhala only policy)…and this will go up soon after the ban in Banladseh and Indonesia sending maids to M.E ..so these belts are good for them you can become a distributer for this BELT and make tons of money ….
Tamils n Muslims housemaids are negligible in Middle East…..
The question here is a teen school girl was gang raped and killed in the North where for every 5 Tamils there is a Sinhala army and Sinhala police everywhere …also declared by Murdepakse that these people were liberated (sic) by him …..
Indeed people should be able to walk freely even in the nights …in this situation…
all con…fake..show …to fool the world
People today openly talking about the days before 2009 in North -East….even Police agree with this rising crime comparing with pre 2009…
A well trained Police for North-East under CM is the only solution…..otherwies sson public will attack police stations like what happened yesterday in North
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Rajash / May 18, 2015
Native leaving the key for the chasity [Edited out]
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msd / May 17, 2015
The police in Jaffna are not all Sinhalese. Most of them are tamils. Even the sinhalese police officers have to speak tamil and all complaints are written in tamil. So what are these tamil police officers who speak tamil doing when all these rapes are being carried out? The tamils take rape as a right of the men to rape their women. This barbarian thinking has to be changed. Dont blame the government of Sri Lanka for these acts which are inherent in Jaffna this is their culture. Usually when a tamil commits an act such as this it is not brought to the news it is kept well hidden and no one talks about it. All the social organisations for women and children should interview the tamils girls school girls and others and find out how many of them have been raped in their life and I am sure you will be in for a shock. Now the tamils want a separate state to continue the good work!!! God Bless the girls in the new eelam state.
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Japwatch / May 18, 2015
Who told you that someone is blaming the government of Sri Lanka?
Even an average person can understand that this was orchestrated to disrupt the present governments reconciliation efforts. .
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sam / May 18, 2015
You seem to be living “in your own little world” But pretends to know everything!!!
I feel sorry for you. I think you need some counselling urgently!!
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Plato. / May 17, 2015
Rajash.
When Amare typed…
The Tamils are paying the price of the defeat of LTTE and the price of supporting the LTTE Terrorists,he I believe was not trying to say serve you right.This has been taken out of context.
We all need to activate our conscience with respect to this rape and murder of this young girl,so fearlessly espoused by another young girl KAMANI!
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Rajash / May 18, 2015
Plato
When Amare typed… “
that explains …he typed and did not formulate the sentence.
I accept he didnt mean what he said
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Asokan.s / May 17, 2015
When North was under the control of LTTE we never heard the words RAPE,DRUGS because they had an unwritten moral code that prevented people from engaging in
these illicit activities. Since LTTE was eliminated, north has become a jungle, where all types of animals are allowed to roam around without any restrictions.
The Rajapakse government won the war but failed to safeguard the morality of a civilized society by instigating the military to destroy the north morally by introducing rape and drug culture.The present government should take serious measures to curb these activities. If not some individual or a group might take the task of doing it which might lead to another episode of war.
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Lasith / May 18, 2015
Ms Jinadasa
It is obvious that most of these crimes are being committed because the police are unable to bring about necessary justice, the perpetrators simply getaway.
The statistics you have given on rape are alarming, 5 children are falling victim daily!!! Is this normal? Nooooooo!
It will take ages before our police can be re-trained to normal expected standard.
Therefore, in the mean time it might be a good idea to set-up a task force that deals with violent crimes such as rape, murder, armed robbery and other brutal crimes and provide a hotline nationwide.
Once a crime is reported the task force will coordinate and supervise how the police are handling the case and step in to help and direct the investigations in the right direction.
Naturally the task force will have to be highly equipped with latest forensics as well as special training in latest methods and tactics in dealing with extraordinary cases.
This should curb crimes drastically and keep the lazy, disgruntled, corrupted police men in check too.
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Pacs / May 18, 2015
The Rajapakse government won the war but failed to safeguard the morality of a civilized society by instigating the military to destroy the north morally by introducing rape and drug culture.The present government should take serious measures to curb these activities. If not some individual or a group might take the task of doing it which might lead to another episode of war.
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Pacs / May 18, 2015
“It will take ages before our police can be re-trained to normal expected standard.”
The Police you imagine you can re train it. Sunk in bribe, corruption, lethargy, drugs and alcohol, sex and rape, It is a curse not only for north east but for entire Sri Lanka. No cut it and put it in fire. plant selected new seeds for yield good and many .
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Japwatch / May 18, 2015
Forgot to mention the rapes happening in various forms in other parts of the island. The girls working in factories, massage spas, 75 yearl olds, incidentally, most of the cases involved army related personnel. This is from the local press and maybe others which are not reported.
My concern is why the women’s affairs Minister not actively involved in preventing this. Reach out to the victims or their relatives… Do something about it. Laws should be made stringent.
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msd / May 18, 2015
The rapes happening in Jaffna have been happening there all the time. The Jaffna people including the police are frightened to do anything because they fear their families will be attacked. The fear that was put into them by the LTTE has still not gone away. If you happen to be in Jaffna see if you can get anyone to talk to you about these things no one will open their mouth.
Someone said that there was no rape during the time of the LTTE because people were unable to do anything other than what the LTTE told them to do.
Unless the people in Jaffna take an attitude of do or die and start punishing the rapists as soon as they are identified without talking or making a fuss this situation will continue and Jaffna women will have to be prepared for anything. What a sad situation!
This is not the situation in the south. If there is a rape women can talk about it, inform the police and if the police dont do anything they can speak to others. In Jaffna people are afraid to speak because the same thing will happen to them and their families. Now see if you can sort this problem out.
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Japwatch / May 18, 2015
Mad I respect your views on this matter. Yet, i want to point out one thing. Motives may differ, but the heinous act of rape cannot be taken lightly whether it is in the war-torn part of Sri Lanka or elsewhere. Don’t drag the terrorist, war, north or south. That is secondary.
A maid and her partner robbed their masters house. The wife is a popular doctor in the area. The school going daughter was raped and while escaping the person who committed the crime jumped to his death. End of story.
What was done regarding this? Nothing. Women and children should be educated on this, taught how to defend themselves. The incident happened not far away from colombo.
My point is people who commit heinous crime should be brought to light, shamed and punished severely.
Saddens me to think that some of you are just playing the blaming game, LTTE, war, terrorists, revenge, Indian cultural influence. Sick of that.
Think rationally. That would be the first step in the reconciliation effort.
With that I will stop commenting on this thread. I’ve said enough.
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alex / May 18, 2015
Having read these comments, those from those supporting the mono-ethnic Sinhalese army look particularly distasteful in light of the subject. They reinforce the need for an international investigation into the atrocities by the Sri Lanka’s forces. Despite the thoughtful article, these comments from presumably the upper, educated, echelons of Sri Lankan society are quite disappointing.
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Mary Sujata / May 18, 2015
I can now confirm that in the areas of Jaffna I know the school student demonstrations are organized by ITAK which is the biggest party in the TNA. I have seen vehicles belonging to the local authorities arriving with known party activists to organize the students in the school where I work.
It is disgusting to see how the rape and killing of a young girl is used by our politicians.
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sam / May 18, 2015
What do you want the people to do? Forget about this heinous crime and go about their daily business as if nothing has happened?
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Native Vedda / May 18, 2015
Mary Sujata
“It is disgusting to see how the rape and killing of a young girl is used by our politicians.”
Were you also disgusted when members of armed forces and politicians arrived at the war victory celebration by state owned vehicles following the the mass killing of innocent people and committing war crimes and crime against humanity including rape?
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Uthayan+ / May 19, 2015
Mary Sujata,
I have heard three wheelers with loud speakers broadcasting information about the poor girl who was raped and killed. Somebody has money to pay for this campaign
Have you noticed any INGO vehicles in your area?
http://island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=124960
Police foil INGO sponsored protest
May 19, 2015, 7:48 am
By Norman Palihawadana
The Vavuniya police arrested a suspect who had allegedly collected money from an International Non-Governmental Organisation to organise a protest in Vavuniya against the killing of a female student of Pungudutivu Tamil Maha Vidyalaya.
No sooner had the abduction, rape and murder of the 18-year-old schoolgirl come to light last week than the police cracked the case and arrested all suspects.
The police said that the suspect, a member of an NGO, had tried to entice the people of the area to take part in a protest scheduled to be held in Vavuniya by offering each of them Rs 500, a packet of lunch and transport to the venue of the protest.
According to police the motive behind the move was to mislead the international community into believing that there were communal killings in the North.
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Uthayan+ / May 19, 2015
tomorrow apparently there will be a general strike in jaffna. i heard that today in jaffna town some shops(cargills) and banks (people’s bank) had problems including violence because they refuse to close. i haven’t understood were they ordered to close today or refuse to close tomorrow. more three wheelers announcing hartal. i cannot verify any of this since my village is very peaceful.
maybe you know more than i do? please comment!
what i hear is that men are going around instructing shops to close.
unfortunately we have seen this before.
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n.ethirveerasingam / May 20, 2015
It is heartening that the tragedy of Vithiya has touched a nerve on all school children and people in Jaffna, the North, East and Hill Country. Peaceful protests, covered by DAN TV and the Tamil Dailiy papers are a welcoming sign that there shall be no more Viththiyas and the culprits will be brought to justice. Though the police was reluctant at first they took it seriously and doing their duty to bring the culprits to justice.
The Tamil children and adults have now decided they will not stay silent. The sad part is there is not much coverage in the media in Colombo. Even more troubling is that the students and adults in the South are not equally outraged. This includes Tamils in Colombo who are failing to identify with what happened to Viththiya. This is a chance for the whole country to unite and protest and bring justice. I hope the rest of the country wakes up against rape and murder.
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msd / May 20, 2015
Here we come back to the LTTE times!! Do you remember at the beginning of the problem this sort of instruction was given and if the shops were not closed there was violence. Happy eelam state to you all!!!
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msd / May 20, 2015
The trouble with the tamils in Jaffna is that they do not know what is good for them. When I visited Jaffna and we were there for over two weeks and I was so pleased that everything was so peaceful this was obviously because the army was still in control. Even at night around 10 p.m. there were so many women riding on their bicycles and scooters and I was so happy because I thanked God that people were moving around with confidence. They were not afraid that the army would rape them etc.etc. We would not ride around on bicycles and scooters at that time in Colombo. If you play to the tune of the politicians then of course you will always be in the same boat so that is what is happening now.
Over this incident the politicians are organising demonstrations, hartal etc so that the politicians in Colombo will expedite giving them what ever they want. This is not in the Colombo newspapers because the southern voters will say that eelam is on its way and the southern votes will be lost. First and foremost people living in Jaffna should know what they want and fight for that and not be led by politics. Everyone should recognise that our children are important and they should be looked after.
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Uthayan+ / May 20, 2015
Dear All,
According to what I have heard today a bus was attacked yesterday somewhere in Jaffna. I still don’t know did the hartal start yesterday or what was the point of attacking a bus, Cargills and a bank yesterday. Maybe to warn people? I know many people who were afraid of returning home yesterday afternoon.
Today almost everything was closed in my area. After 9 am dozens of road blocks were set up on the main roads with burning tires, tree trunks and trash. These were all manned by young men. If all of Jaffna was like this there must have been hundreds of road blocks manned by thousands of youngsters. The few shops that were open at 9am closed around 11 am and had groups of young men loitering near them.
I haven’t seen a single soldier today and saw police only at the police station. I assume they were ordered not to interfere.
The youngsters appear to claim “justice”. That is what they say.
I fail to see what all of this has to do with the young victim of crime. It is a show of force to show who controls this place.
I haven’t found anything on Jaffna situation on national media or CT. I am sure you can guess how Jaffna media is presenting this.
Any comments especially from the readers who live in Jaffna?
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Dr. Rajasingham Narendran / May 20, 2015
The demonstrations are not spontaneous. They have well organized and orchestrated. There much public anger about the raper- murder and the people are keenly following the emerging details.
Political elements are trying to exploit the situation to their advantage and are encouraging the violence using the lumpen elements who are in plenty on the north now.
Dr.RN
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truth / May 20, 2015
It looks like everything was planned by “the Interested Parties” to bring back the “Mahinda Chinthanaya” and make the NPC dis functional and bring back the military rule. There would be always hired hooligans to do the dirty work for money.
I feel sorry for the family who lost a precious innocent life for some ones political gain.
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Uthayan+ / May 20, 2015
Dr Rajasingham Narendran,
“The demonstrations are not spontaneous. They have well organized and orchestrated.”
It takes quite an organization to arrange road blocks in hundreds of places at the same time. I saw tractor tires and tree trunks burning. They are big and heavy. They must have had vehicles. A large amount of men went to Jaffna court on a day without public transportation.
“There much public anger about the raper- murder and the people are keenly following the emerging details. Political elements are trying to exploit the situation to their advantage and are encouraging the violence using the lumpen elements who are in plenty on the north now.”
It is not the first or last rape and killing here and had nothing to do with the security forces. Police and court have started their work as they should. I still don’t understand what is wanted. What kind of an image is created when hundreds of men demand the handing over of the accused from a court? All of this gives a very bad image of Jaffna Tamils to outsiders.
You are correct about the lumpen element being active. The people I saw at the road blocks belong to the disadvantaged castes and are poor. The ones who sent them did not spend their day burning tires under the hot sun.
I am happy because there were no problems between the security forces and the youngsters. Maybe the idea was to arrange a provocation leading to violence that can be used against reconciliation efforts.
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 21, 2015
Newly carpeted roads have been damaged. This is public property that belongs to the Tamils. It is our wealth. Reminds me of the era when rail tracks were removed ,factories vandalised, home libraries plundered and homes looted. All this was done in the name of liberation!
As to the demand the accused be handed over to the mob, it seems old habits die hand. Lamp posting, summary execution, mass murder and even amputation of fingers to punish individuals who dared to vote, were the norms in the not very distant future.
Why was the police post on Hospital Road destroyed? Why was the court premises stoned?
Would these acts of lunacy avenge the rape and murder of a bright young student by a bunch of perverts?
Will any prominent Tamil leader undertake a fast unto death, as Gandhi did in similar instances of violence?
I asked a 10 year old school boy yesterday why he was part of the protest by school children. He only knew that Vidya, a school girl , had been killed. He was too young to comprehend the sordid details. Why were small children made to participate in these protests?
Has any attempt been made to educate young girls about preventive measures, such as not cycling to school alone? Has any attempt been made to teach young boys to protect their female school mates in the public space and treat them like they would treat their own sisters. I taught my sons when they were young that they should not treat girls the way they would not like their sister to be treated.
Such positive measures are what need to be considered urgently, in view of the perversion that has reared it ugly head in our society.
Dr.RN
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Uthayan+ / May 21, 2015
DR NR,
Thank you for your comment. To be honest I am puzzled because there is very little interest in what is going on in Jaffna. It is not the first time the Northern Province is out of control but the first time after the war ended. I wrote earlier about how the police have done their part but know more now. Apparently 3 houses belonging to the accused have been burnt down, the defense lawyer of an accused was harassed by a mob and 5 accused were attacked at Jaffna Teaching Hospital. The police should have understood the risks and acted accordingly to protect all above. Maybe the police also want to create a bigger conflict or is it the usual “lack of resources”?
We all agree on the weak police and courts. Thus the demand for justice makes sense. I support peaceful demonstrations for justice but things got out of hand in Jaffna. To make it worse the group that organized the hartal and demonstration at the court remains officially unknown. “People” do not manage to organize hundreds of road blocks and a hartal starting at 9 am on the day some accused are taken to court. Is it acceptable that “people” force all businesses, schools etc to close? The hartal was not voluntary.
I talked with some youngsters burning tires. They said that a girl had been killed and raped and demanded justice. They also told me that local level politicians organized the hartal. In my area this means ITAK because there is nothing else. I give them 100 marks for having arranged the hartal.
Out of all the politicians only Mahinda and Wigneswaran have commented to my best knowledge. Our CM went to a “beach party” near Mullaitivu but did not arrange the hartal. The hartal shows who has the power on the streets of Jaffna and it is not the CM.
I don’t support Mahinda but at least he is following what happens in Jaffna and has the guts to comment.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/73381/police-should-act-urgently-on-jaffna-incidents-mr
Former President Mahinda Rajapakss said today that police should pay urgent attention to what happened in Jaffna as the initial stages of terrorism also began in a similar fashion.
“Stones were pelted at police stations and the courts in Jaffna. The LTTE too began in a similar fashion. This is a dangerous situation. Therefore the police should act immediately. The law should take its course in a similar manner whether it is the North or the South of the country,” he said speaking after attending religious observances at the Samadhi Buddha statue in the Mahiyangana town.
“Everyone should be equal before the law, whether it is in the north or the south. Law and order should be maintained. The prevailing situation must change soon. It is obvious that the ongoing incidents are well organised,” he said. (Ranjith Karunaweera)
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 22, 2015
I feel the police are acting with extreme caution, knowing well that one of the objectives is to provoke them. If this attempt to provoke had succeeded,it would have been of propaganda value to those who are pursuing their sinister objectives.
Incidentally, one of the accused was arrested from amongst the crowd near the court complex!
The TNA has to take the blame for nominating the likes of Ananthy, Sivajilingam and Sri Tharan. They are setting the pace for the CM.
I agree that the people are very concerned, but are quiet spectators. The rabble are being brought out to the streets by forces with sinister objectives. The tragic and horrid rape-murder has provided this vultures an opportunity to demonstrate that they yet exist and yet believe in violence.
Dr.RN
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 22, 2015
Correction: should read ‘– distant past’.
Dr.RN
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Uthayan+ / May 20, 2015
At about 5.30 pm I went out and found only one shop that had reopened. The youngsters are gone but have left in some places tree trunks etc on the roads. In other places the remains of the blockade have been cleaned. There were no buses today, schools were closed etc.
Yesterday the defense lawyer of one of the accused was harassed by a mob according to Uthayan.
The justice that is demanded was today the handing over of the accused to a mob. 127 people were arrested and Jaffna court stoned. This might be described as a lynching mob in some countries.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/73211/127-arrested-over-stoning-of-jaffna-court
http://www.dailymirror.lk/73185/protesters-stone-jaffna-court
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msd / May 21, 2015
As I mentioned in my earlier comment a news channel reported that Ms Anandi Sasitharan was leading the demonstration. So that means the ltte politics have entered the demonstration in a big way.
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Uthayan+ / May 21, 2015
msd,
“As I mentioned in my earlier comment a news channel reported that Ms Anandi Sasitharan was leading the demonstration. So that means the ltte politics have entered the demonstration in a big way.”
The hartal and demo were organized by a faction of the ITAK excluding CM and other moderates. They receiced 80-85% of votes and control Jaffna. Madame Sasitharan is one of them. So far this has been unarmed. I believe that the idea behind the hartal was to test and show their force.
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Uthayan+ / May 22, 2015
After the successful hartal we will have more of the same until elections.
Madame Sasithharan and her faction of ITAK naturally did not receive 80-85% of the votes. A lot of the votes went for the moderates of ITAK.
The hartal maybe was part of an attempt for the “ITAK non moderates” to create an identity and show that they have achieved something.
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