Abstract
Families of the disappeared have had numerous opportunities to voice their concerns and ask questions about their missing relatives before many Commissions that were set up in Sri Lanka. They have been frustrated because none of their questions have been answered to date and Commissions are not able to respond to their feelings regarding their “ambiguous loss”. The paper argues that social support programs rather than Family Therapy may be more appropriate responses to support families of the disappeared in Sri Lanka. It recommends that attention must be given to the impact of wider systems and social contexts on people’s lives, especially in contexts such as disappearances in Sri Lanka and that more fundamental problems at the collective level need to be addressed before those of the family and the individual. It recommends ways in which the psychosocial sector can contribute to the reconciliation discourse that includes working with families of the disappeared.
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Notes
- 1.
Mrs. X. to ensure confidentiality. I thank her for sharing her story and permitting me to quote her.
- 2.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) insurrection between 1987 and 1989.
- 3.
Maxwell Parakrama Paranagama Commission.
- 4.
Families of the disappeared, 8th December 2015—http://groundviews.org/2015/12/11/appeal-by-the-families-of-the-disappeared/.
- 5.
- 6.
Excerpts from Localizing Transitional Justice in the Context of Psychosocial Work in Sri Lanka, Salih and Samarasinghe, published by Social Policy Analysis and Research Centre (SPARC), University of Colombo, October 2006.
- 7.
In Sri Lanka, the local languages are Sinhala and Tamil. The more educated people, like the potential members of the Commission would feel more comfortable speaking in English.
- 8.
- 9.
- 10.
Collective trauma describes the impact of massive trauma on the family and community.
- 11.
16,000 disappearances have been registered with the ICRC in Sri Lanka (ICRC, personal communication, December 10, 2015).
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© 2016 American Family Therapy Academy
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Samarasinghe, G. (2016). “My Son Is Alive”: Is Family Therapy Appropriate for Families of the Disappeared in Sri Lanka?. In: Charlés, L., Samarasinghe, G. (eds) Family Therapy in Global Humanitarian Contexts. AFTA SpringerBriefs in Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39271-4_10
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