The 26th December Tsunami affected more than one million persons on the costal areas (Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara, Hambantota, Matara, Galle, Kalutara and Colombo).

At least 40 000 died, 6 000 still missing, 1 000 000 were displaced. 1 100 children are orphaned, 3 600 children with a single parent and thousands women widowed. 90 000 houses were destroyed, 40 000 damaged, 20 000 fishing boats over 28 000 destroyed and 400 000 jobs destroyed .

Immediately after the Tsunami, the Sri Lankan Government, International Community, NGOs and the public came to bring assistance to the affected people and provide them emergency relief. Nevertheless, six months after the catastrophe, victims, especially women and children, are not in position to fulfill their minimum needs and live with dignity yet.

Since 1958, the country experiences an ethnic conflict involving Tamils and Sinhalese people on the question of recognition of the minority rights. An armed group -the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)- is fighting since 1983 for the autonomy of the Eastern and Northern provinces. In two decades, the conflict in Sri Lanka has claimed the lives of more than 65 000 people, most of them civilians. After a short period of peace, the conflict between government and LTTE started again and intensified in the Eastern Province because of the split of LTTE forces. An armed group lead by colonel Karuna is actually fighting LTTE regular forces and governmental forces in the Eastern Province. Some 3000 civilians are dead; over 215 000 people are displaced : homes, schools and many others places have been destroyed.

This is since the fighting intensified in April 2006.The civil war of the past few months in the Eastern Province, the interacting conflicts among the armed groups, the artillery and the air attacks and bombs blasts have displaced thousands of people, killing, injuring and maiming for life almost an equal number of persons. This situation has raised a serious question of Human Rights on the country. An area between Trincomalee and Batticaloa in the Eastern Province is subjected to attacks and consequent displacement of persons. Such displacement - which at first glance may appear to be that people move from place to another place-entails their loss of civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights. A notable feature here is that the UN principles on displaced persons is not followed. There are about 93 refugees camp in the Eastern Province. Suffering most in these camps are children and women.

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At present time, relief activities are not sufficient and go too slowly. Victims are still living in refugees’ camps where the infrastructure is failing. They live in tents or temporary houses, they have no easy access to drinking water, no access to minimum facilities as school, hospital etc. and food supplies are very low standard and not equally distributed among the victims.

Without any private space women and children live in an insecure way, facing sexual harassments and physical and psychological violence.

Because of the Tsunami and the civil war they are living in a total insecurity without a real shelter. In the Eastern Province the conflicts among the armed groups threatens the security of the Internal Displaced Persons and also of the relief workers and make the situation all the more dangerous and slow down the activities.

Tsunami victims have no land and no resources to build new houses. An unclear determination of a buffer zone for tourist activities (100 or 200 m) prevent from starting the reconstruction of houses but also hospitals and schools. This buffer zone is also perceived as an injustice. People are dispossessed from their lands for the profit of tourist companies. Most of them have lost their job and are living in a total poverty.

<	Victims have no incomes: fishermen are not in a position to start again their former activities; women have to take care of their children and do not have time for an economic activity. Many women and children are suffering from hunger. .

New schools have not been built yet and the government decided not to build pre-schools (kinder-garden). Lots of orphans are missing in the temporary schools. Need for permanent School Buildings became a serious issue among the victims. IDPs Rights are not respected and HDO is lobbying in UN level.