Abstract:
War significantly contributes to numerous human rights violations and negatively impacts
individuals’ lives. Even if the war is over, the post-war environment places additional
demands on those impacted by the conflict and has a particularly profound effect on
women’s lives. Therefore, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1325 to
protect women and involve them in peacebuilding activities. Nonetheless, many nations
struggle to implement UNSCR 1325 due to various factors, including militarization.
With respect to UNSCR 1325, this paper aims to examine how increased militarization
in post-conflict contexts creates barriers to its implementation by looking at the Sri
Lankan context, specifically the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. Also, this
paper provides an overview of UNSCR 1325 and its implementation at the global level.
The research methodology used in this research paper was qualitative, and desk research
was used as the data collection method. This paper demonstrates that military land
occupation hinders the return of women IDPs to their native lands, thereby impacting
their lives. In the case of partial land release, security forces impose restrictions on
returning women. In addition, the presence of the military increases the risk of sexual
exploitation of women by military personnel. This situation creates insecurity for war affected women, especially widows and women who head their households. Moreover,
this threat, reliance on the military for permission, and insecurity prevent women from
engaging in economic activities, thereby rendering them economically vulnerable. In
addition, because of these fears and threats, war-affected Tamil women are reluctant to
participate in the peacebuilding and reconstruction process. Consequently, the increased
militarization in the war-torn northern and eastern provinces poses a significant obstacle
to the implementation and success of the WPS agenda outlined in UNSCR 1325.
Therefore, this paper recommends that in designing and implementing their National
Action Plan and other national-level strategies, the State should consider the impediment
posed by the rising militarization and should take action to curtail the unessential
increased militarization in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka.
