A spokesperson for Save The Children in Sri Lanka has stated that the continued presence of the military in the island’s former war zones, continues to have an impact on the trauma of children in the North-East.
Menaca Calyaneratne, director of advocacy for the group stated,
"I think there's still de-mining taking place, so there has to be involvement of the military as well."
"But for children who have lived in fear of war, seeing the presence of the military could affect them psychologically. On the one hand, that will have an impact on them, that the war is not over for them."
Sri Lanka’s heavy military presence in the Tamil homeland has received worldwide criticism, whilst the government has continued to bolster the country’s armed forces.
Calyaneratne went on to say,
"For them to have a sense of real peace, whenever we have asked them, they've said that they need to have education and facilities for education, just like the kind of facilities that children have in the south of the country."
"So, greater focus is required for children in the north, to be resettled in their own villages and to receive an education, which will make sure that they have not lost everything, and they have an equal chance in life towards their future."
See our earlier posts:
ICG - militarised North-East leading to women's insecurity (20 Dec 2011)
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