9 November 2016 03:05 am
Speaking in Colombo, the British Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Anelay said if the issue is not confronted, it could erode hope in the future and undermine trust between communities.
She emphasised that UK would give its fullest support to Sri Lanka in strengthening human rights, democracy and reconciliation as they would expect that Sri Lanka would deliver the commitments set out in the UNHRC resolution.
Stating that even in Sri Lanka, sexual violence is a difficult subject to discuss, however she praised the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict endorsed by the government.
She highlighted the need of women’s views which were represented in Government’s plans for truth and reconciliation.
Meanwhile, she said de-mining is vital to enable families to remake their lives following the conflict. I was pleased that I had the opportunity to visit Tellipalai to see what a difference this is making.
She also said that the purpose of UK in campaigning to end Sexual Violence in Conflict was not only to prevent people to prevent sexual violence but also to support survivors afterwards.
She shared her experience in Jaffna where she had visited the community policing programme which trains police officers working on women’s and children’s issues. (Piyumi Fonseka)