By Feizal Samath
COLOMBO, Dec 17 1998 (IPS)

A citizen’s group has exposed a lesser- known atrocity in Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict – women have been sexually used by government soldiers on the move in villages bordering the war zone.

“We can’t give you figures because some women spoke to us in confidence. There are many children fathered by soldiers who do not acknowledge the parentage,” said Nimalka Fernando of the independent Movement for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality.

Sri Lanka’s 15-year civil war has spawned a host of social problems with the displacement of tens of thousands and the break-up of families. Independent researchers and non- governmental groups have been studying the effects of war.

There is evidence of severe trauma among children and of women, particularly minority Tamils in the war zone, being used as weapons of war.

Earlier this month the Colombo-based Movement for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality presented evidence of majority Sinhalese women – in villages bordering the war zone in the east and north of the island – being used by government soldiers.

“Women go from camp to camp searching for the men who fathered their children only to be told by senior officers that they either are not there or have moved on,” Fernando said.

The Movement released an interim report by a Citizen’s Commission on the problems facing people in the border villages where they are routinely harassed by the security forces, and face severe shortages of food, basic amenities and loss of security.

Government troops have faced accusations in the past of rape and sexual assault of women in the predominantly Tamil areas, but this is the first time that soldiers have been confronted with claims of sexual harassment and intimidation of Sinhalese women.

Multi-ethnic Sri Lanka is predominantly Sinhalese. Three fourths of the 18 million people are Sinhalese Buddhists while the rest are Tamils, Muslims and other religious minorities.

The Commission said it was not able to visit the Tamil rebel- controlled areas of the island, but there is enough evidence to prove that security forces in the conflict zones sexually harass and intimidate women.

“There are many, many cases and we were horrified at the level of intimidation of women,” said Arjuna Parakrama, Commission member and dean of the Artle and building bunkers. “In one border village, every Sunday all able-bodied men are asked to report to work at the nearby police commando camp. They are, of course, not paid,” said Parakrama.

The Commission said local politicians, helped by the military, also coerced villagers into illicit felling in the forests and the timber is sent to Colombo either to be sold or used to build palatial homes. “There is colossal environmental damage,” one member said.

The report urged the government to “reduce the suffering of the people … to move away from the notion of war as a strategy for peace.”

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