INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN SRI LANKA
The divisions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority in Sri Lanka has led to a civil war that has
claimed 60,000 deaths and produced some 800,000 internally displaced people. Women comprise a majority
of the IDP population in Sri Lanka and the issues they face are very rarely addressed, such as the loss of
husbands and the increased responsibility to care for the children and family members. Children are the
most vulnerable in situations of conflict and displacement. Some experience separation from their families,
recruitment by fighting forces and have been exposure to violence that leaves them with deep psychological
scars. The children constitute over one third of all conflict-IDPs in Sri Lanka.