Puttlam's undocumented other half

by Dilrukshi Hadunnetti

These women from Puttlam are unique for many reasons: They have intensely suffered due to the rise of terrorism in the North, were driven out of their homes and villages under short notice together with their families without cash or documents in hand to live in a strange district they were compelled to adopt as their new home.

- Fokus wonmen

In the eyes of many - in a country that had experienced near three decades of war - widowhood, disability and being forced by circumstances to transform themselves from nonworking women to family breadwinners may appear to be the norm. But these women have, despite daunting challenges of socio-cultural as well as economic, work long hour to fend for their families, with the large majority of them working from home for well over 10 hours each day.

But these women, documented for the first time as female heads of households (FHHs) have been silently shouldering serious socio-economic responsibilities on behalf of their families, living in resettlement camps or with host communities. Theirs had been a story undocumented if documented, their specific role still missing.

In a first study of its kind, Dr. Fazeeha Azmi has surveyed the status of Muslim female-heads of households and their access to economic, social and cultural rights in the Puttlam District, an initiative supported by FOKUS Women in collaboration with the Ministry of Child Affairs.

Many constraints

According to Azmi, the constraints faced by these women are enormous causing further marginalization and increased vulnerabilities. "However, the common image given to them is one of passive victims, which does not fit them. This study demonstrates that," said Azmi, speaking at a special event in Colombo that marked the launch of three studies on female heads of households in Sri Lanka, including her study on Muslim women of Puttlam.

In Sri Lanka, the latest available statistics show that the number of women, responsible for households has risen - from 19.2 % in 1990 to 23 % in 2010. This demographic trend has created new areas of policy concerns, which should understand the needs of this special category of people, notes the main researcher, Dr. Azmi.

She adds: "The reasons are linked to war and other factors. Unlike households headed by men, FHHs face multiple challenges in accessing economic, social and cultural rights. It is far worse for women who live in displacement due to war related forced migration as in the case of these women who were the focus of the Puttlam study."

Another reason that is counterproductive, according to Azmi, is the heavy research carried out on the Northern Muslim IDPs which unintentionally results in undermining the problems faced by the host communities and especially FHHs in that community.

"The process of internal migration, whether it is forced or voluntary, creates changes in both the sending and receiving areas. This needs to be addressed," she said.

Level of displacement

In the Puttlam District, the total population stands at 759,720 9 (2012 census). The research was carried in areas where there is a high concentration of Muslim populations, namely the Puttlam DS division, Kalpitiya, Mundel and Wanathavillu.

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[It's all about words] The reference, female headed households (FHHs) conveys different meanings and often has a cultural context. According to the UN, FHHs are residential units, where no peer adult males reside. This also means that there may be adult males at home without any contribution to the households or they are temporarily out of the households for a long/short time. In patriarchal societies of South Asia, though women are responsible for the socio, economic well-being of their households, accepting them as heads of the households remains a challenge, partly due to 'household headship' being defined by the government in the official documents and projects and programmes, assuming men as the 'natural' head of the households. Gendered ideologies of societies hardly accept women as heads of households, though women serve as the main financial contributor, primary care taker and perform all household chores, undermining women's contribution to dependent families. Due to socio-cultural concerns, women themselves often do not accept themselves as the 'heads' of the households, which has much to do with the power reflected in the terminology. Researchers have recorded a similar attitude among the survey respondents. According to Shyamala Gomes, Executive Director, FOKUS Women, the term 'female heads' have been used in the studies with consistence, to retain the focus on women. "Female-headed households emphasize the household, not the women. The 'head' terminology creates hierarchies and reduces the acknowledgement of women's contribution. FHHs are not only widows but includes widows," Gomes said.

"In addition to changing the demographics through the sudden influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs), various other issues were created, linked to socio, economic, cultural and political," Azmi added.

What further complicates the situation is the absence of accurate district wide statistics on the number of IDPs. According to Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (2011), in 2009, there were 74,433 IDPs in 17,302 families in Puttlam District living in 172 relocation centers. Among the displaced 77,965 IDPs, some 18,945 families returned to their places of origin and 8,466 IDPs from 2,247 families continue to live in the Puttlam District (HRCSL).

"Women form a significant number of IDPs of both minority communities, Tamil and Muslim," explained Azmi, a senior lecturer at the University of Peradeniya who has been involved many research before.

The survey also notes that in post- war, much hope and hype had been generated above development of the area, including the generation of employment and increased infrastructure facilities, most of which had proved unrealistic. Despite war's end, the research also recorded a lack of enthusiasm to return to their places of origin, largely due to the fear of difficulties in resettlement and safety.

"Living in protected displacement can be extremely harmful and discouraging," notes Shyamala Gomes who heads FOKUS Women in Colombo. "It is a daunting experience and the hope of return is always alive. But such hopes need to be taken into account when making policies and programs and fears need to be addressed," said Gomes.

According to the report: "Some IDP families did not accept the government invitation for resettlement as they did not want to live as an IDP back in their original villages in the North."

Key findings

The time period of residence of the FHHs in their present villages vary. Majority of the respondents have lived in the villages for over 10 years (75%) while 13% of the FHHs said, they are living in their present places for the last 6-10 years. Another 15% said, it is from 1-5 years.

The respondents' age varied from 20 to 81-90 years. The majority of the respondents were between the age ranges of 51-60 (287). The chances of becoming widows for women peak after the age of 55, largely due to the age gap between the spouses.

A key finding was that the war was the main reason for their displacement. Out of 1000 women who participated in the survey, 632 were displaced due to the war, Marriage and education- related displacement was low while other reasons were also cited. The first reason that propelled Muslim women of Puttlam to become female heads of households in a traditional society was the death of their spouses. The other reasons were: spouses reported missing, divorce, separation, sickness and migration.

Out of the six reasons cited, widowhood was the reason for becoming responsible for household at a disproportionally large level. "This is because that most FHHs are formed after the death of the spouse and that also means, close to or during middle age. Some 601 women claimed they became responsible for their households due to the death of their husbands," the researched explained.

There were other reasons too, such as: sickness or old age of their husbands or former persons responsible for their households. Among the IDPs, mental and physical health of men or person initially responsible for the household appears to have had a direct bearing on women's economic provider role.

They also had their spouses missing, the response of 52 women. While few mentioned that their husbands went missing during the war (kidnapped/killed) others could not provide a clear answer. It has been assumed, that the women actually had no clue as to where their men were or felt reluctant to share such information.

Being responsible for households

The length of the time responsible for household, according to research, considerably varied. Majority of the FHHs have remained so for over 16 years (33%). The second group was the 2- 5 years category and the next, 6-10 years group. Some 15 % of the women remain responsible for the households for 11-15 years and only 6% of women said they were responsible for their households for a shorter period - less than one year.

While 570 women said they had studied only up to Grade V, another 304 women have received education up to Grades 6-10. Some 82 women have studied up to GCE (O/L) and 31 others, up to GCE A/L.

"One tenth or exactly 102 women out of 1000 surveyed had never gone to school. However, this trend mostly prevailed among the older women. Women often courses in religious schools," Dr. Azmi noted.

Similarly, the majority of these women, some 5 6 %, had married between the age category of 18-30 and 42 % have married below the age of 18. Only 2% of the respondents have married after 30 years, reflecting cultural norms.

(Muslims are governed by Muslim Personal Law regarding marriage.)

According to the research, it was found that 42 % of the respondents have married before the age of 18. Further, the decision to enter underage marriages was largely influenced by family tradition, customs, economic reasons, protection and security needs. Religious reasons too contributed.

According to Fazeeha Azmi, there was high level of domestic violence within these families, with over 88% having experienced it, the source often being family members.

"We have identified some x core problems and even core strengths of these women. The next step should be a comprehensive study that looks at not just the IDPs but also the issues faced by the host communities" Azmi said.