Sexual violence against Tamils in Sri Lanka

Uncommon card · No. 86648

Sexual violence against Tamils in Sri Lanka has occurred repeatedly during the country's long ethnic conflict. The first instances of rape of Tamil women by Sinhalese mobs occurred during the 1958 anti-Tamil pogrom. This continued in the 1960s with the deployment of the Sri Lankan Army in Jaffna, who were reported to have molested and occasionally raped Tamil women. Further rapes of Tamils were carried out by Sinhalese mobs during the 1977, 1981 and 1983 anti-Tamil pogroms. Following the outbreak of Sri Lankan civil war, rape was used by the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lankan armed forces, in an attempt to collectively punish the Tamil population, who were often seen as being supportive of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Both Tamil females and males, including children, were targeted for rape. Other groups which committed rape against Tamils included the Indian Peace Keeping Force and Sri Lankan Police. The LTTE has been noted for its general lack of use of sexual violence, though...

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