As a researcher who has spent years analyzing the intersections of conflict, human rights, and the slow machinery of international justice, I find that some reports are harder to read than others. The recent United Nations release from January 13, 2026, is one of them. It is a document that refuses to let us look away from the human beings behind the legal terminology.

The report (CLICK HERE )“Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Sri Lanka,” is more than a collection of data points; it is a testament to the resilience of survivors who have waited nearly two decades for their truth to be told. In rewriting this summary, my goal is to highlight the systemic failures that allowed these atrocities to occur and the ongoing neglect that keeps the wounds open today.

Report

https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/accountability-conflict-related-sexual-violence-sri-lanka-ohchr-report

Beyond the Battlefield: 5 Hard Truths from the UN Report on Sexual Violence in Sri Lanka

1. Introduction: The Unseen Scars of War

When a war officially ends, the world often assumes peace has arrived. Hostilities cease, treaties are signed, and a new chapter is expected to begin. But for countless survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Sri Lanka, the suffering never stopped. The end of the armed conflict in 2009 did not end the trauma, fear, and institutional neglect that have defined their lives for decades.

Drawing on over a decade of investigations and direct consultations with survivors, the OHCHR report moves beyond statistics to document the profound human cost of impunity. This post distills five of the most impactful and often overlooked truths from this critical document.

2. Takeaway 1: A Deliberate Strategy, Not Random Violence

Conflict-related sexual violence in Sri Lanka was not a collection of isolated incidents or the acts of "rogue" soldiers. The OHCHR report clarifies that these acts were part of a calculated and strategic tool of war.

The violence was "institutionally enabled" to extract information, assert dominance, and instill a pervasive climate of fear. This shifts the narrative from individual cruelty to a prosecutable policy of state-sponsored terror.

"The patterns of sexual violence appear to have been a deliberate means of torture to extract information and to humiliate and punish persons..." — OHCHR Report

3. Takeaway 2: The Justice System as a Source of Trauma

For survivors, the justice system should be a refuge. In Sri Lanka, it has become a site of re-victimization. Survivors face institutional barriers including:

● Lack of Privacy: Being forced to give statements in public settings.

● Insensitive Conduct: Judicial officers and staff who trivialize complaints.

● Extreme Humiliation: One representative described a female survivor being asked in open court to display her torn undergarments—an experience she described as "like raping her again."

When the institutions designed to protect become a source of pain, survivors are forced into a silence born of self-preservation.

4. Takeaway 3: The Silenced Trauma of Male Victims

One of the report’s most disturbing findings is that men were as likely to be victims as women. However, their trauma is almost entirely erased by social stigma.

Male survivors endured brutal sexual torture in detention, resulting in permanent physical injuries. Entrenched ideas about masculinity and the "incomprehensibility" of cases involving female perpetrators create unique barriers. Many men reported believing they would never be able to marry or have children, trapping them in a cycle of isolation and physical pain.

5. Takeaway 4: The Continuum of Impunity

The violence did not stop in 2009. The report describes a "post-conflict culture of violence" fueled by ongoing militarization and repressive laws like the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Perpetrators include members of the Army, Navy, Airforce, and specialized police units (CID/TID). Shockingly, the report documented credible allegations of abduction and sexual violence as recently as the first months of 2024. For survivors, the continued military presence in civilian areas is a "symbol of pain, not justice."

6. Takeaway 5: The Complete Loss of Hope

The most profound wound is not physical; it is the erosion of the belief that justice is possible. The title of the UN report is taken directly from a survivor’s words:

“WE LOST EVERYTHING – EVEN HOPE FOR JUSTICE”

Years of institutional indifference have left survivors emotionally exhausted. Many have resigned themselves to the belief that the system is designed to protect the perpetrator, leading to a total breakdown of the social contract between the state and its citizens.

7. Conclusion: The Path Forward

The OHCHR report is a stark reminder that for survivors in Sri Lanka, the war has never truly ended. These scars cannot begin to heal as long as they go unacknowledged by the state.

Justice is not just about legal verdicts; it is about breaking a cycle of violence that has persisted for decades. After twenty years of silence, the question remains: will the international community and the Sri Lankan state finally listen?

Search This Blog