Daughters of Kinnaki: Sri Lankan Tamil women and NGO's in Post-conflict interventions

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2021-07-30

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en

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DAUGHTERS OF KINNAKI: Sri Lankan Tamil women and Ngos in post-conflict interventions United Nations and international legal framework have established that inclusion of women in livelihood recovery provisions, post-conflict interventions, and in the overall peacebuilding process is essential to ensure sustainable and lasting peace. Post-war contexts pose particular challenges for women’s livelihoods, whose vulnerabilities are exacerbated in the aftermath of a war. This case study aims to explore how Ngo’s interventions assist Tamil widows in fisheries in Northern Sri Lanka, whose livelihoods are very much restricted by the underlying patriarchal and caste system. Tamil widows working in the fisheries face multiple complexities: first, due to the war, they have lost their spouses and became the breadwinners of the household. Considering that Tamil culture relegates women in the private sphere and the negative stigma of widowhood, these women are marginalized and have restricted access and control over resources. Second, the fishery industry is conceptualized as a male domain, which in turn, results in the lack of recognition of women’s contribution to the sector. Findings reveal that local NGOs ’ contribution and assistance are producing a positive impact on women’s livelihood and empowerment. However, deconstructing the cultural-caste system that subordinate Tamil women remains a challenge.

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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen