by Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, January 13, 2026
Entire report: OHCHR CRSV brief English January 2026 and 2026-crsv-brief-english.pdf
Executive Summary
OHCHR brief on sexual violence in Sri Lanka Executive Summary January 2026
“We Lost Everything – Even Hope For Justice”
OHCHR Brief on Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Sri Lanka
Issued under the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
pursuant to General Assembly resolution 48/141 and Human Rights Council resolutions 46/1,
51/1 and 60/1, this Brief examines the enduring trauma inflicted by conflict-related sexual
violence (CRSV) in Sri Lanka and the profound impact of impunity on survivors. It draws on
more than a decade of UN investigations and reporting, alongside recent consultations with
survivors, to outline concrete steps needed to advance accountability.
Methodology
This Brief adopts a survivor-centred and gender-sensitive approach, combining remote
consultations1 with 27 survivors (23 women and 4 men) from all districts, 2 with extensive UN
documentation and credible external sources. While this enabled broad outreach, it also
presented inherent limitations, including difficulties in organising participants online, reduced
opportunities for direct observation, and challenges in reaching survivors in isolated or
marginalised areas who lacked reliable internet access or were reluctant to discuss sensitive
experiences through virtual platforms.
Across all sources, the Brief highlights consistent patterns showing that sexual violence during,
and in the aftermath of, the conflict was widespread, systemic, and institutionally enabled, and
that accountability has remained largely absent. The Brief also foregrounds what is less visible:
the daily reality of impunity for survivors, the trauma they continue to endure, and the lasting
social and psychological cost of silence and denial.
Contextual Background
CRSV in Sri Lanka must be understood within the country’s broader history of political
violence. Documented cases of CRSV date back to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)’S
insurrections of 1971 and 1987-1989 and continued throughout the civil war between the
Government and the “Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam” (LTTE) (1983-2009). During these
periods, sexual violence was widely used, as a method of intimidation, punishment, and control
over conflict-affected populations.
After the end of the conflict, impunity, militarization, the use of emergency and extraordinary
legal frameworks, and a weakened rule of law have fostered a post-conflict environment in
which gender-based violence – including sexual violence – continues to occur, including in
contexts linked to the conflict, with alarming impunity. Survivors and their representatives
described an enduring climate of surveillance, intimidation, and harassment, contributing to
underreporting, deep stigma, and the near-absence of effective remedies.
1Because the Government of Sri Lanka did not grant access to OHCHR’s investigative mechanism, consultations were
carried out remotely.
2To inform the drafting of this Brief, OHCHR conducted consultations with survivors of CRSV in Sri Lanka from diverse
backgrounds and regions, spanning incidents from 1985 to 2024. Crimes committed after the cessation of hostilities in May
2009 themselves are therefore also examined where a nexus with the armed conflict was evident.
Prohibition of CRSV in International Law and the Sri Lankan Domestic Legal Framework
Sexual violence in conflict constitutes a serious violation of international law, which may
amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity. Sri Lanka is legally obligated, under multiple
international treaties and commitments, to prevent, investigate, and prosecute such violations
and ensure reparation for survivors.
However, Sri Lanka lacks specific legislation addressing CRSV. Existing laws rely on general
criminal and constitutional provisions that leave significant protection gaps – including for male
and LGBTQ+ survivors, whose experiences are often unacknowledged or criminalised. A 20
year statute of limitations, prolonged investigative delays, and limited forensic capacity further
obstruct access to justice. Despite repeated calls for reform, prosecutions remain rare, and no
accountability has been achieved for senior officials or those with command responsibility.
Survivors’ Perspectives
Survivors, both women and men, described a broad spectrum of sexual violence – opportunistic,
transactional, and organised – committed in detention centres, at checkpoints, and in homes
throughout the conflict and its aftermath. Their accounts were consistent across time, locations,
and perpetrators, indicating that these were not isolated incidents but reflected coordinated
practices aimed at domination and control. The cruelty of the abuses inflicted – including
mutilation, exposure, public degradation – was often described by the survivors as being
intended to cause lasting trauma and dismantle entire communities
Survivors face severe obstacles when attempting to report violations. Complaints are often
taken in non-confidential or hostile settings, language barriers compromise the accuracy of
records and fair trial outcomes, and the lack of medical evidence due to limited forensic
resources further undermines their cases. These challenges are compounded by judicial and
administrative insensitivity and by the very real fear of reprisals from the same officials who
committed the abuses, leaving many survivors too afraid or discouraged to seek justice.
Across all consultations, survivors overwhelmingly reported receiving no reparations, despite
the 2018 Office for Reparations Act. Most described deep social isolation, poverty, and the
absence of psychological or social support. Many were ostracized by their communities and
abandoned by their families. Their participation in transitional justice processes has been
minimal or non-existent, despite recommendations urging inclusive and survivor-centered
approaches.
Male survivors, subjected to severe sexual torture, remain particularly invisible due to stigma,
fear, and discriminatory legal frameworks. Their long-term physical and psychological
suffering remains largely unacknowledged.
Perspectives on Accountability: Impact of Impunity
Consultations conducted by OHCHR revealed a pervasive belief that impunity was inevitable,
shaped by decades of systemic dysfunction and institutional denial. Survivors consistently
expressed a profound lack of trust in both national and international justice systems. Many
viewed the judiciary not as a pathway to justice but as a mechanism that protects perpetrators.
Years of stalled or failed cases have left survivors emotionally exhausted and angry, reinforcing
the sense that accountability is unattainable.
The trauma endured by survivors is lifelong. Many continue to suffer chronic physical injuries,
infertility, psychological breakdowns, and suicidal ideation. Stigma extends to their families,
and children born of rape have been labelled and discriminated against. The effects of impunity
therefore reach far beyond individual suffering: communities remain fractured by silence, fear,
and unresolved trauma.
Despite this, some survivors emphasised that broader accountability – even if not for their own
cases – could help restore dignity, challenge denial, and break the cycle of impunity. Although
many have lost hope in personal justice, others still believe that holding perpetrators to account
at a wider level could shift societal attitudes and offer recognition to affected communities.
They call for reparations that are comprehensive, including psychological support, community
reintegration, and formal acknowledgment of harm. Survivors insist that justice must be
survivor-centred, gender-responsive, and address both material and symbolic aspects of redress.
Conclusion and Recommendations
CRSV in Sri Lanka was widespread, systemic, and enabled by institutional failures that remain
unaddressed. Despite repeated recommendations by UN bodies and other actors, meaningful
reforms have yet to be implemented, and survivors continue to suffer in silence.
The Government of Sri Lanka must take immediate and concrete steps to publicly acknowledge
past sexual violence committed by State forces and others, issue a formal apology, implement
survivor-centred reforms across the security sector, judiciary and legal framework, establish an
independent prosecution office, ensure access to psychological and social support, and
operationalize commitments made under previous UN resolutions. Genuine political will is
needed to demonstrate tangible progress in translating these long-standing recommendations
into practice and fulfilling the State’s international obligations.
Where national authorities fail to act, the international community should support
accountability efforts by exercising universal or extraterritorial jurisdiction when appropriate,
imposing targeted sanctions against perpetrators consistent with international law, rigorously
screening individuals considered for peacekeeping or bilateral cooperation, and ensuring
sustained support to survivors and civil society organisations.
Addressing CRSV is both a legal obligation and a moral imperative. Recognition, truth,
accountability, and reparations are essential to restoring dignity to survivors and building
sustainable peace in Sri Lanka.
See also the OHCHR report on enforced disappearances at OHCHR: Accountability for Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka – Ilankai Tamil Sangam
A paper published by the UN Human Rights Office this morning highlights that conflict-related sexual violence in Sri Lanka remains largely unaddressed, with survivors, both men and women, still being denied long-overdue justice.
Titled “We lost everything – even hope for justice”, the Brief is based on a decade of monitoring and reporting by the UN Human Rights Office, and extensive consultations with survivors, local experts on gender-based violence, civil society and others.
It concludes that the Government of Sri Lanka must urgently follow through on its commitment to advance domestic accountability and undertake transformative reforms, with specific attention to this issue.
The document finds that the lack of accountability, acknowledgment and reparations for gross human rights violations and wartime crimes has created a legacy of impunity that continues to shape the lives of survivors today.
Many victims from the conflict which ended in 2009 continue to suffer chronic physical injuries, infertility, psychological breakdowns, and suicidal thoughts.
Survivors and their representatives described an enduring climate of surveillance, intimidation, and harassment, contributing to under-reporting, deep stigma, and the near-absence of effective remedies.
Sexual violence in conflict constitutes a serious violation of international law, which may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity. Sri Lanka is legally obligated, under multiple international treaties and commitments, to prevent, investigate, and prosecute such violations and ensure reparation for survivors.
The paper highlights how militarisation and emergency legal frameworks have created an environment in which gender-based violence – including sexual violence – continued to be reported after the conflict.
Beyond the shocking cruelty of the abuses including rape, sexual mutilation, forced nudity and public degradation described by survivors, many felt that such attacks were intended to cause lasting trauma and break down communities.
As one survivor put it: “Sexual violence is a torture that never stops.”
The paper finds that stigma extends to survivors’ families and that children born of rape have been labelled and discriminated against. Communities remain fractured by silence, fear, and unresolved trauma.
It calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to take immediate and concrete steps to publicly acknowledge past sexual violence committed by State forces and others, and to issue a formal apology. It should also implement survivor-centred reforms across the security sector, judiciary and the legal framework, establish an independent prosecution office, and ensure access to psychological and social support.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk says recognition, truth, accountability, and reparations are critical to restoring dignity to survivors, and advancing reconciliation and healing in Sri Lanka.
To read the full paper, click here