Sri Lanka, women survivors of tsunami victims of abuses
Colombo (AsiaNews) - In Sri Lanka, women survivors of the Tsunami are especially vulnerable as they seek to survive in refugee camps. This is what representatives of the National Peace Council (NPC) discovered on visiting affected area.
Jehan Perera, media director of NPC a Sri Lankan organisation which lobbies for peace told Asianews: "Women are very vulnerable in refugee camps. They have lost their husbands and other male relatives, they are on their own and they can be exploited. There is the danger of sexual harassment or abuse".
Mr Perera was quick to add that the problem was not large-scale, and that it was happening on a "subtle" rather than "blatant" level.
Unfortunately, the trend is nothing new. Unaccompanied women in refugee camps across the world often face harassment and discrimination as they are unprotected. As people are thrown together in densely-populated camps, traditional mechanisms for ensuring order within the community may be broken down.
As Tsunami-hit communities seek to start life afresh, the risk of powerlessness and unwilling dependency is prevalent among survivors, especially the poorer or weaker ones.
After visiting the devastated southern area of Tangalla, Mr Perera said: "The main feeling is that most affected people do not know what the future holds. They are helpless, just waiting to see what will happen to them. There is no participation on their part in rebuilding efforts".
"My recommendation would be that the government looks at the interests of those affected. They should be compensated many times over for their loss. At the moment, they are not really being helped. They are receiving food aid and all that, but there is no participation".
Happily, the rays of hope shine strong amid the challenges. In Tangalla, Mr Perera visited his elderly aunt whose husband and her home were washed away by the tidal waves. She enjoys strong support as she comes to terms with her loss. "My aunt is being well looked after, she is staying with a friend who owns a guest house, and we will give her money to rebuild her home when she wants" he said.
Solidarity is proving to be a common feature in post-Tsunami situations. Sadly, people living in close-knit, coastal communities may find themselves less able to enjoy such consolation as their relatives most likely suffered their same fate.
But there is hope even for them, as people eager to help reach out across the ethnic divide which has split Sri Lanka for so long.
Mr Perera mentioned one recent instance, when a group of Sinhalese doctors from Kandy in western Sri Lanka decided they would go east to assist hard-pressed Tamil survivors rather than to the south, where their relatives and friends live. They made this choice because they felt the need was greatest in the east. The NPC is a Sri Lankan organization dedicated to promoting talks between the two parties to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
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24/01/2007
