PEACE
Women Against Ethnic Violence in Sri Lanka
The bloody civil strife in Sri Lanka continues to make headlines all over the globe. Few know, however, of the efforts to create peace by a vibrant women's movement in that unhappy country. According to the magazine, "Connexions" (Fall 1986/ Winter 1987), a number of women's organizations from both the warring ethnic groups (Tamil and Sinhalese) are carrying out programs to stop the 14 bloodshed. Below, we reprint sections from the article carried by "Connexions" and written by one of the members of the Sri Lanka women's movement, Serena Tennekoon:
"In response to the current situation in my country, a group of women from different ethnic, economic, social and political backgrounds in the South formed Women for Peace. This group initially got off the ground with a massive pro-peace signature campaign which called for an end to violence and appealed for a peaceful and just political solution to the ethnic problem... Soon committees were set up to organize and coordinate a number of activities ranging from a public-education drive to fundraising...
A series of pamphlets were produced in Sinhala, Enghsh and Tamil targeting different audiences on the ethnic issue.
"Our first pamphlet included stories of two mothers- one Sinhalese, one Tamil- who had lost their sons in the war. Both mothers ended their accounts with an appeal for an end to the violence. We distributed this pamphlet on International Women's Day in 1985 and subsequently made it available as widely as possible through the island-wide network of women's organizations. 'The Story of Two Mothers' proved so popular that a second batch of several thousand pamphlets was printed for Women's Day 1986.
"Other pamphlets written, designed and produced by this subcommittee included a series of cartoons on the myths and realities of Sinhalese-Tamil relations. We distributed these primarily at the high schools where members of Women for Peace conducted discussions among students on the ethnic issue. In May 1986, we brought out our newest pamphlet which links militarism with violence against' women (also printed in three languages). Here we highlighted two stories which were based on the accounts of two rape victims -a Sinhalese student and a Tamil mother -both victimized by men in uniform. Thus, while the state-run media repeatedly emphasized chauvinism in the name of patriotism, and sanctioned violence as a legitimate means of solving the ethnic conflict, Women for Peace strove to undermine racist misconceptions and to insist on the urgent need for a peaceful and just solution.
"In late 1985, together with a number of other non-governmental women's organizations which cut across ethnic and economic lines, Women for Peace organized the very successful Creativity for Women workshop. The idea was to explore creatively alternative media for experiences as women. We learned how to visualize and arrange our ideas through posters and compose our feelings into songs. We also discussed each other's creations and our experiences of oppression. On the last day of this three-day workshop, we had a free discussion of the ethnic problem where Sinhalese and Tamil women, (the latter included sisters from the North, Central and Southern parts of the country) were able to hasten to the 'other side of the story'. For the Sinhalese women in particular, this was a difficult and enlightening experience since we in the South have little access to reports of life in the North that are not filtered through the state-controlled media.
"Among the posters we produced, some dealt with the theme of women and militarization. One of our songs, which Sinhalese and Tamil women sang together, was an antiwar song. Thus, in spite of the barriers of language (which were circumvented by simultaneous translations that sometimes became collective efforts,) we learned to sing each other's songs and communicate not only our differences, but the problems we share as women.
"Inspired by this success, we at Women for Peace organized our own workshop which was specifically intended to explore the theme of women and peace. This time we concentrated on visual expression and generated many extraordinary posters, a few of which were later printed while others were modified and printed as cards. On these occasions, we were constantly amazed at the hidden talents of each of us and at the richness of our ideas as they were sharpened in conversation and argument. On Women's Day 1986, we exhibited and sold our posters and cards as well as distributed copies of the Women for peace newsletter, Samakali, and a booklet of anti-war poetry written by Sinhalese women.
"Several of our members have also been involved in Refugee Week to publicize the needs of a rapidly increasing population of Tamil, Sinhalese and Moslem refugees. Women for Peace has highlighted the refugee issue not merely to raise funds, but to emphasize that the refugee problem cannot be solved without an immediate ceasefire and political negotiations...
"While Women for Peace is mainly a multi-ethnic group of Southern women, women in the North and East have also mobilized in similar autonomous organizations. The Mothers' Front in Jaffna was the first such group, followed by the Association of Mothers of Missing Youth based in Batticaloa in the Eastern province. These women have repeatedly protested the arbitrary arrests and detentions of young Tamil males, some of whom have disappeared without a trace. In addition, both groups have also provided help to refugees and protested the harassment of women by the State forces. Although under the current Emergency Law it is almost impossible to march or demonstrate, in early 1986 the Mothers' Front led a massive demonstration to protest the establishment of a Security Zone in the highly populated Jaffna urban area. Through their presence they prevented the local government offices from conducting their work. The Mothers' Front also sent a letter of protest to the president. A similar march was carried out in April 1986 by Batticaloa women Who petitioned the Government Agent about their missing relations.
"The new radicalism of Jaffna women has not been limited to anti government protests. They have also criticized the sexist attitudes of militant Tamils. The Mothers' Front reprimanded one group which had put up posters in Jaffna requesting (Tamil) women to produce more children for the war effort.
"Furthermore, partly stimulated by the recent upheaval of their society, Jaffna women have produced radical critiques of their position in a caste-structured, patriarchal society. Recently, there has been a flourishing of new publications in Jaffna..."
Source:
Connexions, Fall 1986/Winter 1987