Families of the disappeared call for collective action based on UN report

22-Jan-2026

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A. Leeladevi, Secretary of the Association of Relatives of Enforced Disappearances in the North and East, welcomed the new UN Human Rights report confirming that sexual violence and other abuses during Sri Lanka’s conflict did occur, urging all stakeholders to jointly determine the next course of action.

The 30-page report titled “We lost everything, including hope for justice,” prepared under the UN accountability project on Sri Lanka, was released on 13 January and states that wartime sexual violence was systematic and used deliberately as a tool of oppression and intimidation.

Leeladevi said the report validates what victims have long claimed and stressed the need to explore international legal avenues, including possible engagement with international courts and tribunals.

She insisted that discussions on next steps must involve victims, political representatives, civil society, and religious leaders, rather than being confined to a single group.