A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

HHR Visits the Batticaloa Survivors, January 14, 2005

The following was written by the staff of the Home for Human Rights (HHR).

On December 28th, HHR staff members toured several areas in Batticaloa, Jaffna and Alvai, Point Pedro, that were devasted by the tsunami.  We visited three camps that were housed with refugees from Navatkudah and Navalady.  As people hadn't eaten for two days, we took fresh bread and other food items from Colombo.

On January 1st, we visited affected areas in Batticaloa again. These places were still in a chaotic state.  Approximately 3,000 people including infants and children had died and many more were missing.

During our visit, we met a woman who had lost nine members of her family. She was actually digging the ground in an effort to find out whether some of them may be buried in the sand. This gives you an idea of the mental state of many of these people.

After touring the villages we visited another refugee camp at Music College, Batticaloa. There were nearly 4000 people housed in this camp.  They were only provided one meal a day, regardless of whether they were children, elderly or pregnant women.  Out of these 4000, we saw a group of  families from Wards 4, 5 and 6 in three adjoining villages of Navatkudah East.  Their story was even more horrific.

They all belonged to an impoverished community that had originally migrated from the Plantation hill country in the 1960's and 70's due to communal conflict.



Deana, a volunteer with a local medical group, holding a child from Poonochchimunai.

These families had settled in the town of Kattankuddy, which is very close to Batticaloa.  Most of them survived by scavenging .  In addition, others did menial work such as repairing shoes and slippers.  Being Tamil, they were driven out of Kathankudy by Muslims during the riots that occurred in the 1990's.

They are among the poorest members of society in Sri Lanka.  Due to their scavenging, they are looked down upon by Sri Lankan society.  After the tsunami, they sought refuge in the Navatkudah East area, as there was no other place for them.

In the camp, they are treated with scorn and others do not want to mix with them. After hearing their stories, HHR decided to adopt them to look after their immediate needs and aid them in their rehabilitation.

On the 14th, HHR staff in Colombo again visited Batticaloa. We found out that these families were asked to leave as the floods had subsided.  However, upon closer inspection we discovered that these areas were still flooded with sea and rain water.  Drinking water was not available anywhere and the lavatory pits were overflowing.

We asked the people from these three wards to meet us at HHR's office in Batticaloa at different times.

Each family was given a mat, a bed sheet, a towel, and feeding bottles if they had infants.  A packet of Nespray milk powder, comb, clothes for small children and mosquito nets were also given.  We ordered three plastic water tanks to store drinking water.



Francis Xavier (far right), Director for HHR, holding a meeting with villagers.

HHR also decided to help school-age children by buying them exercise books, pencils and erasers.

After the items were distributed, we decided to appoint a committee of volunteers, three from each ward, for a total of 9.  They will come up with a resettlement plan for the community with the full consultation of the residents.

At the meeting we thought that a good way for us to help these people to become self-sufficient was to teach the young women (below the age of 25) how to sew. We decided to purchase 5 sewing machines and hire a sewing teacher to teach them.  Other women are interested in raising poultry.

The men want to learn how to make slippers, shoes and leather products.

As the hygienic conditions were appalling, it was decided to seek the advice of doctors as well as health inspectors to help improve sanitary conditions.

HHR will contact authorities to see if stagnant water can be diverted to the sea. We also decided to approach the government for further assistance.