Tamil women in the home away from home: The impact of war trauma on psychological wellbeing

Abstract

This chapter presents the experiences of Tamil women, whose sense of home and belonging has been disrupted and destroyed as a result of Sri Lanka’s 26-year-long civil war and discriminatory practices by the Sri Lankan state. These Tamil women have endured, and continue to endure, discrimination, persecution, sexual abuse, and torture and trauma. As a result, they may suffer from a range of psychological difficulties, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and psychosomatic problems. In this chapter, I will outline the challenges of the shifting paradigm of gender roles, cultural identity and the meaning given to trauma experiences. I highlight the findings of a research study exploring trauma experiences of first- and second-generation Sri Lankan Tamils as well as reflect on personal experiences of working therapeutically with Tamil asylum seeker women.