Hidden Dimensions of Conflict in Sri Lanka: Case Studies of War Widows and Wives of

1
Hidden Dimensions of Conflict in Sri Lanka Case
Studies of War Widows and Wives of the
disappeared ,

• Nelun Gunasekera
• Gender Specialist
• ADB SLRM
• October 2005

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Case Studies

• War widow
• Sinhala
• Ethnic conflict

• Wife of the disappeared
• Tamil
• Ethnic conflict

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Social implications of widowhood

• 3 life stages for women childhood, marriage,
  widowhood
• Loss of social and cultural identity and value in
  society
• Myths and perceptions considered to be unlucky,
  social outcast, seen as unfulfilled as opposed
  to being married
• Dependence on children, other family members.

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War widows

• Female heads of households
• Usually young and with young children
• Social stigma
• Some face rejection by in-laws
• Some face issues of inheritance of husbands
  property/assets/entitlements
• Vulnerable to sexual exploitation
• New gender roles and responsibilities
• Coping with trauma of event and bereavement
• lack of support services/mechanisms for
  trauma, child care, economic/livelihood
  activities.

5
Wives of the disappeared

• - the disappeared
• another category of conflict victims from
  both the Southern Insurrection 1989 90 and
  the ethnic conflict
• no body/bodies are found to prove death
• now after 1 yr. the wife has legal
  remedies to have status as a widow and get
  compensation and some limited social assistance.

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Wives of the disappeared contd.

• - de facto head of household
• - usually with young children
• ambiguous social status
• inability to perform rituals/funeral rites to
  demonstrate transfer of civil status from wife to
  widow
• Trauma of loss and uncertainty
• Lack of closure

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Wives of the disappeared contd.

• Recasting of gender roles and responsibilities
  uncertainty of temporary ore permanent situation
• Coping with changed social status and social
  stigma
• Lack of definite social identity and status
• Vulnerable to sexual exploitation
• Specificity of situation unrecognized.
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