Displaced women looking for the missing

"Today many still live in fear of violence from various sources. Those who fall victim to it have little means of redress. Women’s economic security is precarious, and their physical mobility is limited" says the ICG.

Heavy military presence

"A situation where heavy military presnnce with almost exclusively male, Sinhalese security forces", the report says, "Raises particular problems for women there in terms of their safety, sense of security and ability to access assistance".

The report accuses the government for mostly dismissing women’s security issues and exacerbated fears, especially in the north and east.

"Thirty years of civil war between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has resulted in tens of thousands of female-headed households", says the ICG.

Sexual violence

The report warns an alarming incidents of gender-based violence, including domestic violence within the Tamil community, in part fuelled by rising alcohol use by men. It says that "many women have been forced into prostitution or coercive sexual relationships".

many women have been forced into prostitution or coercive sexual relationships   ICG

The ICG say that the transfer of power had not been for the benefit of the women in Vanni. "Over decades, the Tigers created an elaborate coercive structure around which people organised their lives. The absence of this structure has left many adrift".