Next week, the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict is due to take place in London, co-hosted by the UK's Foreign Secretary, William Hague and the Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina Jolie.

In the run up to the ESVC summit, we revisit the mounting evidence which documents the widespread, systematic and on-going use of sexual violence by Sri Lanka's military against Tamils, that occurs with absolute impunity.

See our full feature: 'Sexual Violence in Conflict: Sri Lanka'

Krishanthy Kumaraswamy, 18y, gang raped and killed by soldiers on 7 August 1996

The use of rape and sexual violence by Sri Lankan armed forces against Tamils, far from being a feature of the last stages of the armed conflict, has been prominent through out the thirty year period of armed conflict, as well previously.

Cases reported before 2009, include the rape of Tamil civilians in the North-East, paramilitary run prostitution rackets in camps and the use of sexual violence as torture in military-run detention facilities.

The incidence of rape by security forces has always remained vastly under reported. In 1996, Amnesty International, in its report, 'Sri Lanka: Wavering Commitment to Human Rights', noted:

“Amnesty International has documented several cases of rape by members of the security forces. Because many women are reluctant to give testimony about their treatment by the security forces, Amnesty International believes that these testimonies represent only a fraction of a widespread pattern of human rights violations. In those cases reported to Amnesty International, the authorities took some initial action against the alleged perpetrators. However, the organization does not know of any member of the security forces who has been brought to justice on charges of rape.”

Over the years however, a few cases have gained international prominence after rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch launched campaigns or victims bravely came forward to seek justice.

Notorious incidents of sexual violence perpetrate by the Sri Lankan army include:

On 18 July 1983, three Tamil schoolgirls were raped by Sri Lankan army soldiers in Jaffna. One of the victims committed suicide. This incident sparked the infamous period of anti-Tamil rioting commonly known as 'Black July 1983', where over 3000 were killed by state sponsored mobs, claiming revenge for the killing of 13 Sinhala soldiers by the LTTE.

Lakshmi Pillai was raped at her home in Trincomalee in August 1995 in front her two sons by two army informants. Amnesty wrote, “the motive may have been revenge as she had spoken out about being raped before at Plantain Point army camp in August 1993. The informants were arrested but later released on bail pending trial.”

Three Tamil women were raped by soldiers at Poomachcholai and Kayankaddu, Batticaloa district in January 1995. Amnesty said the incident could be “in reprisal for an attack by the LTTE on the nearby army camp at Thandavanveli.”

Arumaithurai Tharmaletchumi, a 17-year-old girl from Kumarapuram in Trincomalee district was raped and murdered by Sri Lankan army soldiers on11 Feb 1996, when soldiers stormed the village killing 24 civiliians.

Amnesty noted:

"The Kumarapuram incident - The largest incident of deliberate and arbitrary killings of civilians by the security forces since the resumption of the armed conflict in April 1995 took place at Kumarapuram, Trincomalee district, on 11 February 1996. According to several survivors interviewed by Amnesty International, 24 civilians, including 13 women and seven children below the age of 12, were killed by soldiers from the 58th Mile Post and Dehiwatte army camps, accompanied by Home Guards from Dehiwatte. The killings were in apparent reprisal for the killings by the LTTE of two soldiers near the 58th Mile Post about half an hour earlier. According to one witness, a group of soldiers, some of whom were drunk, gathered at Dehiwatte junction and then proceeded towards Kumarapuram, shouting "death to the Tamils". The villagers of Kumarapuram had taken refuge inside their houses. The soldiers broke open the shutters and aimed their guns at the people hiding inside. One woman recounted how she pleaded with them not to shoot but to no avail. In her house, seven people were killed, including a six-year-old child.

Among the victims was 17-year-old Arumaithurai Tharmaletchumi. She was dragged from a boutique in the village and taken to the milk collection centre where she was raped before being shot. Antony Joseph, a 14-year-old boy, who tried to stop the soldiers from dragging her away, was shot between his legs."

A 45-year-old woman was raped by soldiers at Thiyavedduwan checkpoint on 7 March 1996 and her husband was beaten with rifle butts. Both were admitted to Valaichchenai hospital. Amnesty noted, “following a complaint by several people of Thiyavedduwan at Valaichchenai army camp, an identification parade was held and the soldiers were identified and taken into custody by the military police. It is not known whether any further action has been taken against them.”

Koneswary Murugesapillai, a mother of four, was raped and killed on 17 May 1997 by policemen in Central Camp police in the Kalmunai, who inserted a hand grenade into her genitals. The British Refugee Council Publication, Sri Lanka Monitor said in May 1997: "Policemen are accused of killing her after gang rang by exploding a grenade inserted into her vagina. The brutal manner of the murder has shocked residents and human rights workers say rape is increasingly used to terrorise the population".

Krishanthy Kumaraswamy, 18-year-old  student, raped and murdered in 7 August 1996 by 6 Sri Lankan Army soldiers after being stopped at the check point in Kaithady in Jaffna district. Her mother, younger brother and neighbour, who went out in search of her after she failed to return home that day were also killed. Their bodies were found in shallow graves in October 1996.

Farheen Ida Carmelitta Laila Figerardo, 19-year-old was gang raped and killed in Mannar district by Sri Lankan army soldiers on 12 July 1999.
Sarathambal Saravanbavananthatkurukal, a 29 years old  from Jaffna district, was gang raped and killed by Sri Lankan navy sailors on 28 December 1999.

Wijikala Nanthan, 24 years old and Sivamani Sinnathamby Weerakon, 22 years old were raped by Sri Lankan navy personnel, after being arrested along side Sivamani’s husband and son in Mannar on 19 March 2001. All of them faced torture.

Thambipillai Thanalakshmi, 43 years old, raped on July 7, 2001 in Jaffna. Amnesty International reported that Sri Lankan army soldiers were responsible.

Tharsini Ilayathamby, a 20-year-old woman from Jaffna district was raped and killed by Sri Lankan navy personnel on 16 December 2005.

Mary Madeleine, a  27-year-old was raped and killed on June 8, 2006 in Mannar, by Sri Lankan soldiers. The soldiers also tortured and killed her husband, daughter and son during the attack.

Premini Thanuskodi, the Chief Accountant for TRO and a 25 year old university student from Batticaloa, was abducted along with fellow TRO workers on 30 June 2006, near Welikanda army check point. She was later found raped and murdered. The paramilitary group run by Karuna Amman was later implicated.

The use of sexual violence on Tamils detained within state facilities is long-standing, though severely under reported.

The US State Department noted in its 2002 human rights situation report:

“During 2001 there were a number of reports of women being raped by security forces while in detention. One such case involved two women arrested in March 2001 in Mannar who claimed that they were tortured and repeatedly raped by naval and police personnel. The women were released on bail in April 2001 and filed charges against their assailants. At year's end, the 14 accused were standing trial for rape, torture, or both. A fundamental rights case also was opened against the accused. Four other cases in which the security forces are accused of raping women in detention still were pending at year's end.”

Sexual violence within state IDP camps has also been noted long before the mass displacement seen at the end of the armed conflict in 2009.

In a leaked US embassy cable, dated 18 May 2007, the then US Ambassador, Robert O' Blake, reported the running of prostitution rings by paramilitary groups actively endorsed by the government.

See here for full cable, extract reproduced below:

"Allegations of government complicity in crimes committed by organized paramilitary groups have mounted in the last year. Paramilitaries such as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)-breakaway Karuna group and Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) have helped the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) to fight the LTTE, to kidnap suspected LTTE collaborators, and to give the GSL a measure of deniability. The GSL, which denies any links to paramilitary groups, has recently touted its efforts to improve its human rights record, such as the re-publication of procedures on arrests and detentions and the appointment of a "One-Man Commission" to investigate reported disappearances (ref C). However, these efforts so far appear aimed more at improving Sri Lanka's image abroad and have yet to produce concrete improvements in the human rights situation. Outside the capital, the incidence of human rights abuses has continued, including extrajudicial killings, abductions, child trafficking, extortion, and prostitution.

XXXXXXXXXXXX also explained that Karuna operates prostitution rings out of the IDP camps to "take care of" GSL soldiers, stating that the women "had no choice" but to acquiesce to Karuna cadres' demands. XXXXXXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXXXXXX independently described how women are forced into prostitution, or to give up their children to traffickers. The methods are similar to those in Jaffna (paras 17-18). Families sometimes try to arrange their daughters' marriages at the age of 12 or 13 in the hope that it will reduce the likelihood of their being forced into prostitution.

12. (S) Although the GSL has consistently denied supporting Karuna, XXXXXXXXXXXX allowed PolOff to listen to tapes of his interview with Gothabaya. The Defense Secretary was effusive in his praise for Karuna and the SIPDIS benefits the GSLXXXXXXXXXXXX"

Related reports:

'Recurring Nightmare: State Responsibility for “Disappearances” and Abductions in Sri Lanka' by Human Rights Watch, March 2008.

'ASIA: REFUGE! ETHNICITY AND NATIONALITY. REFUGEES IN ASIA' by Amnesty International in 1997.