The Silent Victims of Wartime Sexual Violence: Evidence from a List Experiment in Sri Lanka

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Traunmmller ◽  
Sara Kijewski ◽  
Markus Freitag
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
List Experiment

scholarly journals The Silent Victims of Sexual Violence during War: Evidence from a List Experiment in Sri Lanka

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 2015-2042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Traunmüller ◽  
Sara Kijewski ◽  
Markus Freitag
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Rebel Groups ◽  
List Experiment

Sexual violence is believed to be widespread during war. Yet empirical evidence concerning its prevalence is often limited. Victims, out of feelings of shame or fear, underreport this form of violence. We tackle this problem by administering a list experiment in a representative survey in Sri Lanka, which is only recently recovering from an ethnic civil war between Sinhalese and Tamils. This unobtrusive method reveals that around 13 percent of the Sri Lankan population has personally experienced sexual assault during the war—a prevalence ten times higher than elicited by direct questioning. We also identify vulnerable groups: Tamils who have collaborated with rebel groups and the male-displaced population suspected of collaboration with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Our experimental evidence thus lends support to reports on the asymmetric use of sexual violence by government forces, qualifies conventional wisdom on sexual violence during war, and has important implications for policy.

scholarly journals Queering explanatory frameworks for wartime sexual violence against men

2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 1169-1187
Author(s):  
Philipp Schulz ◽  
Heleen Touquet
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Northern Uganda ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Multiple Forms ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Political Consequences ◽  
War Narrative ◽  
Gendered Power ◽  
Empirical Material

Abstract In this article we argue that prevalent explanatory frameworks of sexual violence against men primarily pursue one line of inquiry, explaining its occurrence as exclusively strategic and systematic, based on heteronormative and homophobic assumptions about violence, gender and sexualities. Feminist IR scholarship has significantly complexified our understanding of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), documenting its multiple forms and causes across time and space—thereby moving beyond the persistent opportunism-strategy dichotomy and critically engaging with the dominant ‘rape as a weapon of war’ narrative. Drawing on empirical material from Sri Lanka and northern Uganda we queer the current explanatory frameworks, analyzing multiple instances of CRSV against men that both simultaneously seem to confirm and defy categorizations as opportunistic or strategic, while being situated in broader and systematic warfare dynamics and unequal power-relationships. Our empirical material shows that relying on crude categorizations such as the opportunism–strategy binary is unproductive and essentialist, as it tends to mask over the complexities and messiness of deeply gendered power relationships during times of war. Binary strategy/opportunism categorizations also imply broader unintended political consequences, including the further marginalization of sexual violence acts that fall outside the dominant scripts or binary frameworks—such as sexual violence against men with opportunistic underpinnings.

scholarly journals The Position of Women in the Military: Ethnic Tamil Female Combatants in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-250
Author(s):  
Miranti Dian Laksmono
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Ethnic Group ◽  
Comfort Zone ◽  
Women In The Military ◽  
Gender Oppression ◽  
Conflict Situations ◽  
The Military ◽  
Tamil Women

This paper discusses various factors behind the ethnic Tamil women who decided to join the terrorist militia group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in the northern and southeastern parts of Sri Lanka. In this discussion it is known that there are three factors that affect the decision of Tamil women ​​to join the LTTE, namely: first, the existence of the Tamil community as an ethnic minority. Second, the occurrence of mass sexual violence and abuse among Tamil women, perpetuated by the Sri Lanka’s majority ethnic group. Finally, the decision of Tamil women to join LTTE is due to the pressure that structurally and culturally appears in communities in conflictual areas. Through these three factors, Tamil women ​​then chose to leave their comfort zone and reconstructed their identity by joining the LTTE terrorist militia group. In this case, the involvement of female LTTE combatants in Sri Lanka is not only an attempt to eradicate negative views regarding femininity through military activities, but also a symbol of successful self-liberalization from the practice of gender oppression in conflict situations

Abstract #604: Detection of Cardiovascular Risk Factors by Anthropometric Measures in Adults Living in an Urban Setting in Sri Lanka

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 114-115
Author(s):  
Kavinga Gunawardane ◽  
Noel Somasundaram ◽  
Neil Thalagala ◽  
Pubudu Chulasiri ◽  
Sudath Fernando
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk Factors ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Anthropometric Measures

Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation in Sri Lanka

Crisis ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudath Samaraweera ◽  
Athula Sumathipala ◽  
Sisira Siribaddana ◽  
S. Sivayogan ◽  
Dinesh Bhugra
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
General Population ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
National Average ◽  
The West ◽  
Suicide Methods ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Completed Suicide ◽  
The World

Background: Suicidal ideation can often lead to suicide attempts and completed suicide. Studies have shown that Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world but so far no studies have looked at prevalence of suicidal ideation in a general population in Sri Lanka. Aims: We wanted to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation by randomly selecting six Divisional Secretariats (Dss) out of 17 in one district. This district is known to have higher than national average rates of suicide. Methods: 808 participants were interviewed using Sinhala versions of GHQ-30 and Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation. Of these, 387 (48%) were males, and 421 (52%) were female. Results: On Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation, 29 individuals (4%) had active suicidal ideation and 23 (3%) had passive suicidal ideation. The active suicidal ideators were young, physically ill and had higher levels of helplessness and hopelessness. Conclusions: The prevalence of suicidal ideation in Sri Lanka is lower than reported from the West and yet suicide rates are higher. Further work must explore cultural and religious factors.

Suicide on the Indian Subcontinent

Crisis ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 104-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murad M. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Interpersonal Relationship ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Important Public Health Problem ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Formidable Challenge ◽  
Causative Factors

Summary: The Indian subcontinent comprises eight countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan, and the Maldives) and a collective population of more than 1.3 billion people. 10% of the world's suicides (more than 100,000 people) take place in just three of these countries, viz. India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. There is very little information on suicides from the other four countries. Some differences from suicides in Western countries include the high use of organophosphate insecticides, larger numbers of married women, fewer elderly subjects, and interpersonal relationship problems and life events as important causative factors. There is need for more and better information regarding suicide in the countries of the Indian subcontinent. In particular, studies must address culture-specific risk factors associated with suicide in these countries. The prevention of this important public health problem in an area of the world with myriad socio-economic problems, meager resources, and stigmatization of mental illness poses a formidable challenge to mental health professionals, policy makers, and governments of these countries.

Sri Lanka: Political violence and ethnic conflict.

1998 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 771-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Rogers ◽  
Jonathan Spencer ◽  
Jayadeva Uyangoda
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Ethnic Conflict

Breaking the silence: Perspectives on sexual violence among Indian American women.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-306
Author(s):  
Pratyusha Tummala-Narra ◽  
Jena Gordon ◽  
Laura D. Gonzalez ◽  
Luisa de Mello Barreto ◽  
Tera Meerkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
American Women ◽  
Indian American
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