Forgotten Experiences of Up-country Tamil Women in Transitional Justice
were stigmatised as “terrorists” because of their ethnicity. They
also had difficulties in getting police reports confirming their good
character from their place of origin in the plantation areas.
An interviewed woman who migrated to Colombo from the
Up-country to work in the apparel industry said that she had to
give up this job since she did not have a national identity card.
The police had constantly targeted her every time they came to
inquire on the identity of the workers. However, these issues are
insufficiently identified and documented. Further investigation
is required to document all the issues faced by youth seeking
employment opportunities in urban areas during the years of war.
Conclusion
Up-country Tamil women have been facing various issues
similar to those of women from other conflict-affected areas in
Sri Lanka, but their concerns have not been addressed by state
or civil society initiatives for transitional justice. The Consultation
Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms (CTFRM) report, and
the civil society consultations, research reports and advocacy
materials, clearly show that the experiences of Up-Country Tamil
women in the conflict are under-analysed and misunderstood.
The main reason for this is in the definition of conflictaffected women and/or identification of conflict-affected women.
The donor-driven projects among civil society organisations are
limited in reach, with regard to transitional justice concerns of
Up-country Tamils. It is also evident that the patriarchal ideology
of estate management, plantation trade unions, as well as Upcountry Tamil men, place obstacles in the way of Tamil women
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