Addressing the general debate on the Promotion and Protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, the Northern Provincial Councillor Ananthy Sasitharan made a statement on behalf of the NGO, Collectif des Femmes Africaines du Hainaut (CFAH), in which she called for an international investigation into the genocide of the Tamil people.
See the video of her address from 11:17 onwards below.
Her full statement is reproduced below.
"The children affected in any war spend a lifetime to recover from the impact. But, the Eelam Tamil children face a continued war with genocidal intent.
I am here today, not only as a voice of an NGO. But, also as a mother of three daughters, who are still searching for their father.
My husband, Elilan, was a political leader. He surrendered to the Sri Lanka Army in front of our own eyes, at the end of the war. Five years have gone. The Sri Lankan government has no answer to our questions. There are thousands of children, like mine, searching for their loved ones.
As I speak here today, the Sri Lankan Army has arrested a 13-year-old girl, Vipooshika Balendran, who comes to every protest, crying and seeking to free her brother. Her arrest is as an open threat against every child protesting injustices.
The occupying military, carrying weapons, is controlling every aspect of our civil lives. There is 1 soldier per 5 civilians. They are stationed around houses and schools.
The military is accused of sexual violence on Tamil women and children. The children are also forced to work. Military persons are also being appointed as teachers in the schools.
In the world of our children, the Armed Conflict is still there as before.
I urge the Council to take bold steps in understanding the 60-year-long genocide and investigate it through an independent international investigation.
We seek concrete actions to safeguard our children from becoming permanent victims to the genocide. We do not want our children to end up as a lost generation.
Thank you very much for your attention."
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