Women are considered to be one of the most vulnerable groups in the society. Women make of more than half the population of Sri Lanka. Therefore, any development strategy to improve the livelihood of the people should necessarily include development strategies related to empowering of women.

Violence against Women is a product of social, cultural, religious and traditional values, which perpetuate patriarchal values at different level of society and restrict female empowerment. Violence against Women (VAW) affects all spheres of a woman’s life – her autonomy, her productivity and her capacity to care for herself and her children. The Sri Lankan government by ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1981 and the United Nations declaration on Violence against Women in 1993 has the necessary legal frame work to deal with cases of violence against women. However, it has become necessary to pay attention to reporting and documentation of the instances of violence against women. One of the major impediments faced in Sri Lanka in combating violence against women is lack of statistics and lack of social awareness.

In addition to this the northeast province has experienced more than two decades of armed conflict which has severely affected women. This was further exacerbated by the tsunami waves that hit the island in 2004. Women experience armed conflicts mainly as civilians and constitute the majority of refugee population. They are subject to many forms of violence during war.