Coping strategies of women experiencing of gender based violence in Sri Lanka and the Consequences – Implications for action

The theme is part of a broader study carried out in Sri Lanka with the objective of identifying the nature, causes and consequences of gender based violence. This paper would deal with two aspects of the broder study, namely,... [ view full abstract ]

The theme is part of a broader study carried out in Sri Lanka with the objective of identifying the nature, causes and consequences of gender based violence. This paper would deal with two aspects of the broder study, namely, consequences of gender based violence and the coping strategies adopted by women. Although gender based violence is a phenomenon that applies to both men and women, the study focused only on women, based on the prevailing statistics and theoretical facts which demonstrate that women more often become vulnerable to the consequences of gender violence due to their social and cultural standing while the nature and situations of violence could significantly vary in conflict affected societies. For the purpose of capturing these variables, the study was conducted in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka which was affected by a continuing political conflict for almost three decades.
The research was carried out in selected villages of all three districts of the Eastern province. The selection of villages was done on the basis of the presence of the NGO in these districts, as the ultimate goal was to develop working strategies in addressing the issue. Respondents for the survey were selected from a random sample taken from these villages.
The study consisted of two parts; namely, a questionnaire survey and a qualitative study done on the basis of in-depth interviews and case studies. Based on the findings, the paper presents what could be called effective strategies and insights for designing future initiatives for addressing and mitigating the issue while focusing on the possible community level approaches which the communities could utilize independent of external support in mitigating the circumstances.