The Role of Youth in Post War Reconciliation

Abstract

With the elimination of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) in 2009 number of debates made an effort to understand the role of youth in post war reconciliation. Reconciliation represents the process of healing wounds, repairing and transforming a conflict in to peace that drives beyond an ad hoc settlement. Further it recognises potential opportunities to explore and upgrade post conflict developments. As Sri Lanka moves towards reconciliation, it is important to integrate young Ex- LTTE combatants who have been victimized by the thirty years along war in to our society. It involves creating a national identity and sense of belonging for all, regardless of their ethnicity or religions. On the other hand, during the war the youth in the northern and the eastern provinces suffered from fear of terrorism. Due to this inculcation of fear which was carried out by the LTTE they faced issues such as deprivation of their rights to education and employment. Therefore it is essential for the governmental bodies to be concerned and include youth in to the reconciliation process. In this regard the National Youth Policy of Sri Lanka (NYPSL) currently provides an opportunity to explore youth issues in a holistic manner. The NYPSL develops the full potential of youth to enable their active participation in national development. Within that context it is very clear that the government must pay more attention to youth in the reconciliation process. The main objectives of this research paper is to examine the reconciliation of youth through a united and integrated approach. Generally youth are constrained in seeking financial and social independence. Therefore government and community based actors can work together to fulfil those requirements. This study tends to focus on areas including the potentials of both Ex- LTTE combatants and young non-combatants in the northern and eastern provinces. The author follows the qualitative research method using relevant sources such as journals, articles and web sites. Further this paper considers how youth can be empowered to engage in addressing post conflict developments