AlJazeeraEnglishYoung women tell Al Jazeera about rapes and sexual exploitation, in some cases by officials and army.
Young women tell Al Jazeera about rapes and sexual exploitation, in some cases by officials and army.
More than 80,000 are said to have been widowed in war-affected areas of the island nation.
The peace that came with the end of the civil war has brought little discernible improvement to their lives.
The situation is especially bad for young women, who told Al Jazeera about rapes and sexual exploitation - in some cases by government officials and the military.
Steve Chao was granted special permission to report in the still sensitive area of northern Sri Lanka.
More>>>
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AlJazeeraEnglish
Human scars of Sri Lankan war neglected
Sri Lankans are rebuilding after decades of conflict but for many the traumas of war are still raw.
Two years after the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, the north's roads, railways and homes are being rebuilt. But little attention has been placed on helping a population suffering from the trauma of being caught in the middle of decades of fighting.
Mental health workers have told Al Jazeera that not only is the treatment of post-traumatic stress not a priority for the government, but that in some cases the military has refused to allow counsellors in to reach affected people.
Al Jazeera's Steve Chao was granted special permission to report in the still sensitive area of northern Sri Lanka. Full Story>>>
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By Amantha Perera
COLOMBO, Aug 20, 2011 (IPS) - Although the Sri Lankan government has evaded calls for an international probe into alleged excesses while militarily defeating Tamil separatism in 2009, it may yet be called to account at the September session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
The United States has asked Sri Lanka to place its own internal investigation under the ‘Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission’ before the UNHRC, but Colombo has refused to comply.
Addressing a seminar in Colombo this week, Gamini Lakshman Peiris, Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, said that discussing Sri Lanka’s internal affairs at the UNHRC would set a dangerous precedent. MORE >>
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AlJazeeraEnglishHuman scars of Sri Lankan war neglected
Sri Lankans are rebuilding after decades of conflict but for many the traumas of war are still raw.
Two years after the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, the north's roads, railways and homes are being rebuilt. But little attention has been placed on helping a population suffering from the trauma of being caught in the middle of decades of fighting.
Mental health workers have told Al Jazeera that not only is the treatment of post-traumatic stress not a priority for the government, but that in some cases the military has refused to allow counsellors in to reach affected people.
Al Jazeera's Steve Chao was granted special permission to report in the still sensitive area of northern Sri Lanka. Full Story>>>
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Sri Lanka Ducks International Probe
By Amantha PereraCOLOMBO, Aug 20, 2011 (IPS) - Although the Sri Lankan government has evaded calls for an international probe into alleged excesses while militarily defeating Tamil separatism in 2009, it may yet be called to account at the September session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
The United States has asked Sri Lanka to place its own internal investigation under the ‘Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission’ before the UNHRC, but Colombo has refused to comply.
Addressing a seminar in Colombo this week, Gamini Lakshman Peiris, Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, said that discussing Sri Lanka’s internal affairs at the UNHRC would set a dangerous precedent. MORE >>
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Colombo goes on all-out offensive against Darusman report as UNHRC disaster looms
Colombo goes on all-out offensive against Darusman report as UNHRC disaster looms
[Sat, 20 Aug 2011, 10:19 GMT]
At a time when the United States is awaiting a response from Colombo for its call for an “interactive dialogue” on the wide-spread credible allegations war crimes, before the UNHRC meets for its 18th sessions next month, Mahinda Rajapaksa government has said the UN Expert Panel Report is “not admissible at UNHRC” and warned that it could produce “dangerous results if entertained”.Indirectly responding to the US call for the interactive dialogue on issues of war crime allegations, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Gamini Lakshman Peiris has said at an SL Defence Ministry function on Wednesday that UN expert panel report to the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) “cannot be submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) since it is neither an official document by any means nor has it any kind of legitimate nexus to any UN organ”. Full story >>
