Sri Lanka has an expanding culture of impunity, explained by ethnic divisions among its population. Gross human rights violations, war crimes, and economic crimes are worsening, yet the processes for justice and accountability have neither been effective nor sustained. In response to these issues, PUJA aims to build public support for justice and accountability processes across these divides by facilitating collaboration between Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) backed by international support, pressuring states to ensure justice and accountability.
PUJA is a collaborative effort with National Peace Council of Sri Lanka (NPC) as the lead organization, and Right to Life Human Rights Center (R2L), Verité Research, Center for Human Rights and Development (CHRD), and Peace & Community Action (PCA) as its subgrantees. The main objectives of PUJA intend for partner CSOs to strategically advocate for and pursue multiple processes for justice and accountability, for collaboration with partner CSOs across divides, and for supporting CSOs to pursue justice and closure with regards to missing persons. The main outcome of this program is justice and accountability through strategic partner collaborations, public empathy for members across divides, and full support for missing persons and those in their network.
In its 36-month program, PUJA targets CSOs and members, victims, survivors, and families of those missing, and citizens across ethno-religious, urban-rural, income, and gender divides in all 25 Sri Lankan districts. Funded by the Department of Religion and Labour (DRL), targeted individuals will benefit from empathy-building workshops, community-focused memorialization activities, information sessions, psycho-social support pools, and collaborative national-level meetings with CSOs to push for a consensus on issues of justice and accountability. Equipped with these skills, PUJA’s goal of long-term reconciliation and peace in Sri Lanka could be accomplished.