Resource information
This study is prepared using the data analysis of a field study conducted in January 2017 in the Districts of Monaragala, Ampara, Trincomalee, Mullaitivu and Jaffna in Sri Lanka focusing on the land rights violations that took place in the recent past due to the appropriation of land from the ordinary citizens by the security forces and individuals backed by powerful people and, the tenure security problems faced by the landless rural communities in Monaragala and Ampara districts and the sugar cane farmers living in the settlements of Pelwatta Sugar Company, which is now owned by the government.
The study was a part of the project titled “Ensuring land rights for evicted families for sustainable and resilient livelihoods” undertaken jointly by the Institute for Constitutional Studies (ICS) and National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) in collaboration with OXFAM supported by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Federal Republic of Germany.
The study was conducted to support the victims of these areas in regaining their land rights through legal and administrative means and, to initiate a dialogue with policy makers, legislators and administrators to develop new policy frameworks to make necessary changes in the existing legal system and initiate protective measures to safeguard the land rights of people, especially during time of trouble.