Deconstructing Victory

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the case of Sri Lanka and the patterns of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) from 1998 to 2016. It analyzes SGBV reports in the period overlapping with the nation’s civil war (1983–2009) between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and in the postconflict period subsequent to the war’s end. The chapter finds that despite postconflict status, the reporting conditions for SGBV were still influenced by the political context and prevailing narratives of the conflict reflecting the clear Sinhalese victory over the Tamil minority. Victor’s justice did not end the violence, though, and SGBV reporting has faced intense politicization during the postwar years. The chapter considers the current narrative about conflict-related SGBV in Sri Lanka, and drawing on primary data, suggests that both parties to the conflict employed SGBV and much of this violence was not reported or able to be reported.