Jaffna police force has launched an action plan to recruit more Tamil women into the force across the Northern Province, the district's superintendent told journalists at a weekly press briefing on Friday.
"Since the day I came to office, civilians have complained about a lack of female officers at police stations in Jaffna [and] we have found this problem exists not only in Jaffna, but all over the Northern Province in my investigations," the Uthayan quoted the superintendent as saying.
"In order to address this issue, actions are being taken to recruit Tamil women into the police," he said.
"Once we receive 500 applications, a training centre will be established in the Northern Province," the superintendent added.
Rejecting widespread reports of intimidation, abuse and sexual violence against Tamil women recruited into Sri Lanka's security forces, he said,
"There is a prejudice amongst the people that female recruits are harassed by senior officials. Those who wish to join the police can speak to female police officers in your regions and clarify your doubts."
Concerns around the targeted recruitment of Tamil women by security forces have persisted however, with several NGOs reporting coercion and incidents of sexual abuse.
Last month a 23 year old army recruit reported being forced into having sexual intercourse with 10 high ranking officials, along side other Tamil female recruits.
In 2012 the Women’s Action Network expressed concern that the recruitment of Tamil women into the Sri Lankan military involved coercion, stating that women were deceived and transported to military camps by the army before being forced to stay through intimidation.
The military was intentionally preying on young women, including “young widows and women who had to provide for seriously ill relatives”, said Sri Lanka Campaign, citing the experiences of 20 Tamil women in Kilinochchi who were admitted to hospital shortly after being recruited into the army.
Earlier this year, the Sri Lankan army announced plans to recruit 150 Tamil women from the North-East into a volunteer force.
Rejecting any reports of coercion as a rumour spread by "some parties with vested interests", the Army insisted that recruitment was voluntary.
A press release issued said:
"These women enlisted into the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force are able to leave the service whenever they wish to as per the Volunteer Service Regulations. Some parties with vested interests have spread a rumour that the Army is recruiting women forcibly. There is no truth in such allegations. Anyone with required qualification can join willingly and no one would be forced to join as alleged by parties whose obvious objective is to disrupt re-conciliatory measures of this nature initiated by the government."
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Sri Lankan Army coerces Tamil women into joining (13 Dec 2012)
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