Paper Title
The Role Of Jaffna District Regional Human Rights Office To Protect Human Rights In Post War Context Of Sri Lanka: A Critical Study (2016)

Abstract
Sri Lanka has a long history and multi ethnic groups consisting of Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. After independence (1948), a conflict had risen between Sinhalese and Tamils, transforming to a civil war until 2009. During the civil war Tamil people suffered from a violation of human rights in the North and East Sri Lanka. During this time the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka was established in 1996 by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Act, No 21 of 1996, where the Act sets out the legal basis and operational principles of the HRC. Jaffna District Regional Office of Human Rights was established by SLHRC, where activities of the office has been available for the people but human rights production and growth is questionable which is why I have chosen to study this topic. Jaffna Regional Office of Human Rights Commission was established in 1997. This commission activities are watched and regulated by both Sri Lankan government and HRCSL, where their role and responsibilities rely in the protection of human rights, to take necessary action against complaints, identify possible violation of human rights and provide legal support to people, however the organization itself is currently not neutral or independent from the central government. Due to this and the previous conflict, people of Jaffna nevertheless are worried by the activities of this commission. Through this report I intend to highlight issues on how the human rights of the people is being considered and maintained within Jaffna district, an expectation of the people living within this region. The study will investigate the activities, achievements, strengths and weaknesses of this commission and suggest how to overcome their challenges, maintain their values and ethics in a public service manner with support of UNHRC. Keywords - Human Rights, Tamils, Civil War and Jaffna District