Many families like us face similar issues in receiving aid from the Government. The husband is in one area and the wife and children living in another, and so the allocation of aid is a problem.

Since my sister and I are unmarried, we face many difficulties. Our brother cannot work very far from home, since we are nervous to stay alone - the area we live in has a severe drug problem. I myself cook in a hotel. We have to send my younger sister to a neighbour’s house, when I go to work."

Rape and abuse are constant, yet unspoken of, issues that prevail in the North and East. Those interviewed were often reluctant to acknowledge this issue. There are in fact, many who are in voluntary relationships with Army personnel, Women's Action Network- Mullaitivu explained. These cases are resolved on a personal level. However the fear of abuse persists, particularly among unmarried girls.