Sri Lanka country briefing – Gender Migration Culture
This brief focuses on two separate but interconnected aspects of post-conflict Sri Lanka. Firstly, the brief looks at the current realities for returning migrants and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Jaffna District in the Northern Province, one of the areas where there is a large IDP population. The findings show how gender and intersecting forms of marginalisation inform experiences of displacement and determine access to resources and opportunities for displaced households.
Secondly, this brief presents an overview of the value of culture to women in conflict settings. It explores gendered economic exclusion and its relationship to peacebuilding, economic agency and empowerment. It shows how communities of women in conflict contexts rely on coded and tacit knowledge to rebuild their lives and how cultural practices continue to exist and are a form of resistance in these challenging contexts. In doing so, it evidences the critical link between gendered knowledge, peacebuilding and economic development through sustainable livelihoods.