gendered genocide sri lanka’s war against tamils
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8/10/2019 Gendered Genocide Sri Lanka’s War Against Tamils
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Gendered Genocide: Sri
Lanka’s War Against Tamils
Tasha Manoranjan Tamil Guardian 17 Novemer !"1#
The $ollo%ing address %as delivered & Tasha Manoranjan' a graduate $rom (ale La%
School' and $ounder and director o$ )eo*le $or +,ualit& and -elie$ in Lanka .)+A-L/'
at the ’0eminisms' Structural iolence and Transitional 2ustice 3on$erence’ held at
(ork 4niversit&' Toronto last month5
6Tamil %omen have su$$ered dis*ro*ortionatel& throughout Sri Lanka’s
decadeslong ethnic con$lict5 The& have $aced oth the structural colla*se o$
communities as %ell as the erosion o$ societal norms5 8n res*onse' an
increasing numer o$ %omen joined the Lieration Tigers o$ Tamil +elam
.LTT+/ starting in the 19"s and throughout the &ears *rior to !""9' and
ecame an integral *art o$ the armed resistance against the government5
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As a result o$ *rolonged e;*osure to this con$lict' traditional Tamil gender
relations shi$ted dramaticall&5 Within Tamil societ&' %omen %ere historicall&
valued as the earers o$ culture' res*onsile *rimaril& $or maintaining the
home5 )arents care$ull& <*rotected= or controlled %omen $rom childhood
until marriage' %hen authorit& over them %ould trans$er to their husands5
>ue to the $act that %omen’s domains did not t&*icall& e;tend e&ond theirhouseholds' the& %ere generall& e;cluded $rom the *olitical *rocess5 Societ&
rigorousl& maintained the image o$ %omen as sacred earers o$ $amil& and
communit&' utili?ing $emales as s&molic markers to measure *urit& and
res*ect5 This cherished image o$ %omen rendered the violent e;*eriences
Tamil %omen $aced during the %ar traumatic not onl& $or them as
individuals' ut $or the entire Tamil societ& as %ell5
8n more recent &ears' Tamil %omen had joined the LTT+ in greater numers
than their male *eers5 Though $emale cadres had di$$erent *ersonal reasons
$or enlisting' man& joined a$ter e;*eriencing some $orm o$ injustice at the
hands o$ the Sri Lankan Arm&5 Most %omen came $rom the heavil&
militari?ed north5 The *ermanent insecurit& o$ this environment inculcated a
desire $or $reedom and statehood' %hich included the motivation to take u*
arms5 @ne LTT+ $ighter' Senthulasi' descried coming o$ age in 2a$$na' a
heavil&militari?ed cit&: er cousin %as ra*ed and killed & the Arm& on her
%a& home5 Senthulasi said she ran a%a& $rom home at the age o$ 1B' to join
the LTT+ and $ight against the hel*lessness she $elt dail&5 8n s*eaking to me'
she urged me to return to America and tell others aout Tamils’ *light5 She
%anted me to sa& ho% girls %ho should e carr&ing *encils and ooks %ereinstead carr&ing guns' kee*ing %atch over the orders o$ Tamil +elam
instead o$ stud&ing in school5 8 %as struck & the intensit& and commitment
she $elt $or the Tamil struggleC she s*oke so sim*l&' %ith heartreaking
honest&5
Although most %omen initiall& joined the LTT+ to $ind res*ite $rom this
su$$ocating *h&sical insecurit&' their involvement in the armed movement
had unintended' &et *ro$ound' cultural and social conse,uences5 Local
*s&chologists noted that $or Tamil %omen' <joining the militants D%as aElierating act' *romising them more $reedom and *o%erF5 Tamil societ& had
al%a&s su**ressed %omen into a suservient *ositionF it %as the %ar that
has had a lierating role5= Man& o$ the $emale Tamil cadres %ith %hom 8
s*oke e;*ressed their desire to $ight $or the lieration o$ oth their ethnicit&
and also their suservient *osition in Tamil societ&5
When %omen $irst egan to join the LTT+' the& *rimaril& %orked in service
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and su**ort roles as caregivers $or the %ounded' ut later took on *ositions
as $rontline soldiers5 This initiall& met %ith o**osition $rom %ithin the
conservative Tamil communit&5 Man& o$ the earlier $emale cadres re*orted
that male Tigers <%anted them to $lee %ith the civilians5= Women had to
demonstrate their strength and com*etence to earn the res*ect o$ male LTT+
cadresC one cadre told me %omen %ere <challenged to li$t igger oms= to*rove themselves5 @ne can also attriute the acce*tance o$ %omen’s
*artici*ation in the %ar to the government’s indiscriminate omings o$
civilian homes and schools: <a clear se;ual division o$ laor in %arF usuall&
disa**ears %hen there is no clear di$$erentiation et%een the attle $ront’
and the home $ront’ or rear’5= Women %ere $orced to *rotect not onl& their
o%n *h&sical integrit&' ut also that o$ their children5 0emale cadres
eventuall& *rided themselves on *er$orming all tasks com*leted & their
male counter*arts5 The LTT+ even estalished male and $emale artiller&
divisions' des*ite douts that %omen could not manage an artiller& team due
to their %eight5 Another $emale cadre' 8saimo?hi' remarked %ith *ride that
the& sur*assed male cadres in certain areas o$ $ighting' such as shar*
shooting5
The LTT+ also e;*licitl& committed itsel$ to gender e,ualit& and %omen’s
em*o%erment5 The LTT+ e;*anded the agenc& o$ oth $emale cadres and
civilian %omen %ithin its territor& & aolishing the do%r& s&stem and
*romoting education5 8 %itnessed the e$$ects o$ this *olic&: 8 sa% illoards
denouncing the do%r& s&stem' encouraging $amilies to value children o$ oth
genders e,uall&5 0emale civilians and cadres con$identl& drove motorc&clesin saris and helmets H unheard o$ a decade ago5
As Tamil %omen advanced to ne% roles in societ&' the& strove to reali?e their
*olitical as*irations5 The $emale cadres %ith %hom 8 s*oke said that Sri
Lankan soldiers $ought onl& $or a *a&check' %hereas the LTT+ $ought $or the
$reedom o$ their *eo*le and land5 8saimo?hi said she aimed to kill on the
attle$ield' ut simultaneousl& regretted that violence %as the onl& %a& to
actuali?e +elam5 8saimo?hi cited the decades o$ *olice rutalit&'
discrimination' and re*ression o$ Tamil rights' and concluded that %ar %asthe onl& *ath to $reedom5 8saimo?hi told me' <Tamils have een living as
slaves $or the Sinhalese $or decades5 We can’t live like that an&more5 We have
to all achieve $reedom or %e have to all die tr&ing5=
Se;ual assault has een a *erennial $eature o$ Sri Lanka’s con$lict' and is
traditionall& considered a $ate %orse than death in the Tamil communit&5
@ne $emale LTT+ cadre' engai' descried to me the strict *olic& o$ never
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leaving a $allen cadre’s od& ehind5 She remarked' <8t is %orth risking m&
li$e to save the li$eless od& o$ another $emale cadreF5 8t %ould e easier to
acce*t m& o%n death' than the mutilation o$ their odies and s*irits5= Stories
concerning the ra*e and mutilation o$ %omen are %ellkno%n among
TamilsC Irishanthi Iumaras%ami’s death is *articularl& in$amous5
Iumaras%ami %as an eighteen &ear old Tamil student %ho %as arrested %hile *assing through a Sri Lankan Arm& check*oint in 199J5 er mother'
&ounger rother' and a neighor %ent to the check*oint that a$ternoon to
$ind her' re$using to leave until she returned sa$el& %ith them5 The soldiers
killed all three o$ them5 An hour later' the& gang ra*ed Irishanthi and uried
her od&5 -e$lecting the signi$icance o$ this crime %ithin the Tamil
communit&' a Tamil schoolteacher )admini Ganesan' said' <+ver& Tamil
rememers the Irishanthi caseF5 0or us' the check*oints are slo%motion:
the trauma and the $ear that %e go through5=
o%ever' these stories do more than re$lect on the vulnerale *osition o$
%omen in con$lict5 0or man& Tamils' the high rates o$ se;ual assault against
Tamil %omen in the %ar re*resented an attack on the integrit& o$ their
communit&5
>i$$erence et%een %omen *re and *ost!""9
Women have een uni,uel& a$$ected and indeed' targeted' throughout Sri
Lanka’s %ar5 )ost !""9' Tamil %omen have een targeted *articularl& ecause o$ the active role the& *la&ed during the armed struggle5 Women
%ho %ere in the LTT+' or are *erceived as eing su**ortive o$ the LTT+ H as
all anni Tamils are *erceived H are *unished as a collective & trium*hant
Sri Lankan $orces5
A re*ort released in March !"1# & (asmin Sooka' one o$ the e;*erts
a**ointed & the 4N Secretar&General to re*ort on Sri Lanka' $ound:
<Aduction' aritrar& detention' torture' ra*e and se;ual violence have
increased in the *ost%ar *eriod F 5 These %ides*read and s&stematic violations & the Sri Lankan securit& $orces occur in a manner that indicates
a coordinated' s&stematic *lan a**roved & the highest levels o$
government5=
8n testimonies revealing the e;tent o$ se;ual assault committed a$ter !""9'
survivors re*orted eing ra*ed & uni$ormed male o$$icers $rom the Sri
Lankan militar&51 @ne %oman %as told' <&ou Tamil' &ou slave' i$ %e make
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&ou *regnant %e %ill make &ou aort F &ou are Tamil %e %ill ra*e &ou like
this' this is ho% &ou %ill e treated' even a$ter an aortion &ou %ill e ra*ed
again5=
-ecent re*orts $rom local human rights grou*s have documented hundreds
o$ Tamil %omen in northern Sri Lanka eing $orced to acce*t surgicalim*lantation o$ longterm irth control5 These re*orts add to *revious
re*orts o$ $orced sterili?ation o$ Tamil %omen oth during and a$ter the %ar5
0orced irth control
8n Ma& !""7' a con$idential cale $rom the 4nited States +mass& in
3olomo discussed <an +)>) medical doctor named >r5 Sinnathami' %ho
*er$ormed $orced aortions' o$ten under the guise o$ a regular checku*' on
Tamil %omen sus*ected o$ eing aligned %ith the LTT+5=
A ealth >e*artment re*ort $rom the Northern )rovince in !"1! $ound a K"
times higher rate o$ irth control im*lants o$ Tamil %omen in Mullaitivu'
com*ared to the much more densel&*o*ulated 2a$$na5 8n August !"1K'
government health %orkers $orced mothers to acce*t surgicall&im*lanted
irth control in three villages DDeravil' Ieranchi' alai*adduEE in
Iilinochchi5 When the %omen ojected' the nurses said that i$ the& did not
agree to the contrace*tive' the& could e denied treatment at the hos*ital in
the $uture5
According to the ome $or uman -ights .-/' an organi?ation %orking
to *rotect the $undamental rights o$ those living in Sri Lanka' more than
" *ercent o$ Tamil %omen in central Sri Lanka %ere o$$ered a lum* sum
*a&ment o$ usuall& B"" ru*ees in return $or their ailit& to re*roduce5 A$ter
receiving this *a&ment' %omen under%ent surgical sterili?ation5 Though
seemingl& small' the sum is large $or these *redominatel& *lantation
%orkers5 The *o*ulation o$ this Tamil grou* has dro**ed annuall& since
199J & $ive *ercent' %hereas the *o*ulation o$ the countr& overall has
gro%n & 1# *ercent5 - said: <This s&stematic *attern o$ authorit&sanctioned coerced sterili?ations ma& amount to an intentional destructionF
o$ the Tamil estate *o*ulation5=
8n contrast' *olice and arm& o$$icers have een encouraged to have a third
child' through *a&ment o$ 1""'""" ru*ees $rom the government5 The
o$$icers taking advantage o$ this o$$er are over%helmingl& Sinhalese5
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3ases o$ coerced irth control and $orced sterili?ation are clear evidence o$
genocide5 The Genocide 3onvention oligation to *revent and *unish
genocide is not a matter o$ *olitical choice or calculation' ut one o$ inding
international la%5 The 4N Securit& 3ouncil should re$er Sri Lanka to the
8nternational 3riminal 3ourt $or investigation and *rosecutions into %ar
crimes' crimes against humanit& and genocide5 3oncurrentl&' courts incountries that ma& e;ercise jurisdiction over the events and alleged
*er*etrators should *rosecute these crimes5
>ee*l& entrenched' institutionali?ed im*unit& $or Sri Lanka’s *ast crimes
against Tamils has enaled ongoing violations against Tamil %omen to
$lourish5 Tamils currentl& live in an environment asent o$ oth %ar and
*eace5
3urrentl&' there is 1 soldier $or ever& K Tamils in the North: an
unconscional& high ratio given that %ar ostensil& ended over B &ears ago5
8n Tamils*eaking areas' the Sri Lankan militar& has increased its economic
role' e;*anded the amount o$ land it controls' and is essentiall& estalishing
itsel$ as a *ermanent' occu*&ing *resence5
The e;treme level o$ militari?ation uni,uel& a$$ects Tamil %omen5 There are
a**ro;imatel& 9"k $emaleheaded households a$ter the end o$ the armed
con$lict5 These %omen are es*eciall& vulnerale to se;ual violence due to the
militar&’s *redator& *ractices5
NG@s such as -W and 0reedom $rom Torture have re*orted on
%ides*read and s&stematic se;ual violence in$licted on Tamil %omen and
men' including in detention and <rehailitation= centres5
Local NG@s $ocusing on %omen’s rights have re*orted on $orced
conscri*tion o$ over 1"" .1"9/ &oung Tamil %omen and girls $rom anni into
the 99 Sinhalese militar&' under the *rete;t o$ *er$orming clerical %ork5
These %omen %ere not allo%ed to leave or contact their $amilies %henin$ormed that the& %ould e *er$orming militar& duties5 8n >ecemer !"1!'
thirteen o$ these %omen %ere admitted to Iillinochchi os*ital H man& %ere
unconscious5 The& %ere denied access to hos*ital sta$$' their $amilies' and a
local Tamil *arliamentarian %ho in,uired a$ter their condition5
3onclusion
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Sri Lanka’s su$$ocating *olitical environment %ill onl& reed $urther violence
and instailit&5 Tamil %omen must *la& a greater role in the economic and
*olitical develo*ment o$ the northeastern regions o$ the countr&' and a just
*olitical solution must address their historicall& disadvantaged situation5
The LTT+ made strides in this direction %hen it conscientiousl& emraced a
*olic& o$ gender e,ualit&' oth in its armed movement and in its state uilding a**aratus5 The lives o$ %omen in LTT+controlled areas graduall&
ut markedl& im*roved over time5
These advances have een steadil& corroded a$ter the government’s
genocidal assault in earl& !""95 Where %omen once $elt sa$e and secure' the&
are no% vulnerale under the militar&’s ga?e and thum5
As evidence o$ ongoing atrocities adds to evidence o$ the !""9 massacres H
such as the mass graves $ound in Mullaitivu this &ear H international
*ressure $or justice $or Tamils is gro%ing5 The 4N 3- is currentl&
investigating violations o$ international la% in Sri Lanka' and %ill re*ort to
the 4N -3 ne;t March aout its $indings5 There are still signi$icant
ostacles im*eding a $uture in %hich Tamils live $reel& and in *eace' ut %e
must recogni?e ho% $ar %e have come since the horri$ic loodath o$ !""95
The %orld no% recogni?es SL as an authoritarian dictatorshi* that cannot e
trusted %ith the $ate o$ thousands o$ Tamils %ho %ere killed in !""95 0rom
this reali?ation' the %orld must recogni?e that SL cannot e trusted %ith the
*olitical $uture o$ Tamils either5=
)osted & Thavam