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Rape of women by the military on the increase in Jaffna

Two young women, Kandaih Valarmathy and Tharshika Pathmanathan, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Army on 11 September while they were riding on their bicycles in Avarankal in Jaffna. The body of Tharshika was handed to the Jaffna teaching hospital by the Sri Lankan Army the next day. They also brought Valarmathy to the hospital. Valarmathy says she is an epileptic patient and when the Army arrested the two of them she had an epileptic attack and fainted. She does not know what has happened to her friend Tharshika.

Women’s groups in Jaffna are saying that they know of eight cases of rape by the Sri Lankan military over the last two months. Most of the rapes are taking place when the military comes to the homes at night in the pretext of checking.

Raped women in Jaffna society as a rule do not lodge complaints fearing social stigma. In the present context where Jaffna is under night curfew and the military has a free hand to do away with people, women are also frightened to lodge complaints for fear of revenge against their family members.

07 October 2006

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