Opening a Conversation
by International Truth & Justice Project Sri Lanka & Global Survivors Fund, London, January 2026
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION 7
2. THE CONSULTATION PROCESS 9
2.1. Design 9
2.2. Phase 1: Preparatory phase 9
2.3. Phase 2: Implementation phase 10
3. FINDINGS 15
3.1. The impact of CRSV on victims, families, and communities 15
3.1.1. The multi-dimensional effects of CRSV 15
3.1.2. Collective trauma 18
3.1.3. Survivors’ perceptions and agency 20
3.1.4. Restoring dignity and confronting denial 23
3.1.5. Male survivors 24
3.1.6. Participation and breaking taboos 24
3.1.7. Mental health and re-traumatisation 25
3.2. Survivors’ views and priorities on forms and modalities of reparations 25
3.2.1. Legal complaints in Sri Lanka 26
3.2.2. Prevention 27
3.2.3. Security and witness protection 27
3.2.4. Advocacy and sustaining momentum 27
3.2.5. Memorialisation 29
4. RISKS AND SECURITY ASSESSMENT 31
5. CONCLUSION 33
ANNEX 1: POLITICAL CONFLICT AND CONTEXT 34
ANNEX 2: LEGAL REMEDIES INCLUDING REPARATIONS FOR VICTIMS
OF CRSV IN SRI LANKA 45
BIBLIOGRAPHY 5…
Conclusion
The insights presented in this report underscore the
critical importance of addressing the reparative needs
of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Sri
Lanka. Through this two-year participatory process,
the ITJP has amplified survivors’ voices, highlighting
the profound impact of the civil war on their lives, their
strength, resilience and an unwavering demand for
justice and reparations. In the annexes below, the report
contextualises the conflict-related sexual violence in
Sri Lanka and identifies existing opportunities within
judicial and administrative frameworks to pursue survivor
centred reparations, while strongly emphasising the
urgent need for the Sri Lankan Government to prioritise
these measures.
This report is a call to policymakers, advocates, and the
international community to ensure that Sri Lankan Tamil
survivors’ rights are upheld, and their needs are placed at
the forefront of reparative efforts. This, however, comes
at a time of massive cuts to international aid budgets. The
SAST project has lost most of its funding and is now at risk
of closure.