In recognition of International Women’s Day 2022, UNDP Sri Lanka’s Support to Durable Resettlement Project (SDR) a three-year project, funded by the British High Commission and supported by the JPP implemented in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, and Trincomalee Districts to provide newly resettling communities with durable resettlement opportunities, organized a Community- Police interactive session in the village of Mulliyawalai in the Maritimepattu DS division in the Mullaitivu District to tackle issues which directly affect women and youth in the village.

This village has large numbers of IDPs and refugee returnees. Due to the prevailing circumstances of COVID-19, the village has experienced an increase in antisocial activities such as the brewing of illicit alcohol, drug usage, robbery and domestic violence which can have a devastating impact on communities and individuals and such activities directly affect the women and girls of the village.

To mitigate this issue, UNDP Sri Lanka organized a meeting at the Mulliyawalai police station to discuss the prevalence of such behaviour in the community and how it can be mitigated successfully. A total of 65 representatives participated in the meeting involving village representatives, GN officers, community police officers, school principals, elected ward members of local government, women development officers and Child right promoting officers.   

All participants actively contributed to the discussion, demonstrating an active commitment to improving awareness and support towards the resolution of such issues.  Pertinent issues among the community included the increasing trend of school dropouts following COVID-19, the high usage of cannabis and liquor among adolescent boys, drug transactions by women and children, the brewing of illicit alcohol, the cutting and transport of Illegal timber, the absence of worship places, playgrounds, parks, and daycare centres for working mothers in newly formed relocation villages.

As a result of the meeting, the following actions will be taken into consideration by the police and public as a way forward. The forming of a focal group for the identification and support of school dropouts, the establishment of a new police post in the Kayattai village where antisocial activities are at their peak and the increase in the frequency of community- police meetings and regular field visits by the police to the village.

IDPs and returnee women especially are at high risk and are a particular area of concern in resettlement areas. For example, women who are single heads of households lack effective protection normally provided by male family members, or women engaged in agricultural livelihoods, garment work or even those who travel to fetch water, often travel unaccompanied. It is of crucial importance that resettlement related initiatives remain sensitive to the specific protection needs and vulnerabilities of women-at-risk, IDPs and returnee women.

The intervention also provides greater recognition responses to the specific challenges women face, and the approaches used allows returnee women to play an active and meaningful role in meeting their own needs. Such meetings serve to build confidence among the public and state authorities and is an important sustainability initiative. It builds trust among returnees by providing durable solutions to issues such as the lack of protection and security for women and ensures a safer environment for all.