In the course of a brutal civil war that has stretched decades, the people of Sir Lanka have suffered immeasurable, untold violations of their fundamental human rights. The worst of these abuses are horrific acts of torture and the often systematic abuse of women and children.

Much work needs to done to end the impunity with which people are being abused and to begin the process of seeking justice for the victims/survivors. Please consider donating whatever you are able to support this cause. Also please help spread awareness by including a link to this page in your own blogs and online profiles (MySpace, Facebook, etc.).

Ensuring ready access to free legal services for victims/survivors of human rights abuses regardless of race, creed, caste, or political affiliation is of paramount importance to ensuring respect for individuals’ human rights. Effective advocacy also requires the documentation of civil and political rights violations. This documentation both serves to support allegations made against individual perpetrators, and to generate analysis and reports on the magnitude, pattern, and levels of responsibility of violations and violators, which can then be used as an advocacy tools within the international bodies.

Women in Sri Lanka bear the brunt of the civil upheaval and are frequently forced to the margins of society. Combating this subjugation of women and discrimination against them requires integrating gender and empowerment as a crosscutting issue across all aspects of advocacy to ensure the needs of this vulnerable population are met. Going beyond specific violations, overcoming deep-seeded attitudes that permit heinous crimes against humanity and fostering a culture of value for human rights requires educational outreach to community leaders and society at large; with all efforts being fundamentally based on a respect for life, human dignity, civic responsibility, and solidarity.

I will be in Sri Lanka working with Home for Human Rights (HHR) to advocate for victims/survivors of human rights violations using law as an instrument for justice. As part of HHR I will contribute towards the development of innovative and creative strategies to combat human rights violations. Home Human Rights started out as an informal association of three lawyers in Jaffna reacting to widespread civil disturbances in 1977.

It was one of the first legal aid clinics intended specifically for the support victims and survivors of the ongoing internal conflict. HHR has now expanded to include the following Programs and Units: Legal Aid, Documentation, Women’s Desk, Exploring Human Rights and Norms (Education), and Medical Aid and Rehabilitation. HHR’s mission is to preserve, protect, and prevent the violation of human rights in Sri Lanka based on the United Nations Covenants on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights and on Civil & Political Rights.

If you have been interested in supporting a cause to make a difference in people’s lives, please consider donating to support my efforts with Home for Human Rights. All donations are fully tax deductible, and to accomplish even greater change find out if your employer supports a matching funds program for donations. Any donation will further the cause and even just a link to this page in your own blogs and online profiles will greatly help spread awareness.

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Thank you all so much.

“Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

(photo: Children in Sri Lanka)