Sri Lanka & War
The Sri Lankan civil war is an ongoing conflict on the island-nation of Sri Lanka. Since the 1983 "Black July" pogrom, there has been on-and-off civil war, mostly between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or the LTTE, a terrorist organization who want to create an independent state in the north-east of the island. It is estimated that the war has left more than 65,000 people dead since 1983 and caused great harm to the population and economy of the country.
Sri Lankan children are the most affected by the clashes. Apart from those directly affected, killed or injured, many more are displaced from their homes, or are subject to abduction or recruitment by warring factions.
Despite the two year old ceasefire there are still many children suffering the effects of twenty years of conflict. It is estimated that 50,000 children in the affected region are out of school, around 140,000 have been displaced from their homes while landmines have killed 20 and maimed 17 children in 2003 alone.
All children in Sri Lanka are suffering, even those who have not experienced or witnessed the violence personally
