ABSTRACT
Former combatants, in some cases, suffer the cumulative trauma of (forced) enrolment, combat exposure and social ostracism. The social reintegration represents a typically complex but often unaddressed stumbling block on the way to restoring social cohesion and addressing past wrongs in post-war societies. In Sri Lanka, despite manoeuvres to establish a rehabilitation and reintegration programme for former combatants immediately after the war, this community is still struggling with the process ten years later. The programme was tightly controlled and fairly secretive, apart from its publications by closely associated researchers and official government communiqués. The rehabilitation process laid great emphasis on reprogramming loyalty to the Sri Lankan state and training in livelihood skills. However, despite the government’s efforts, the process of reintegration into their communities has been challenging for the rehabilitees. A primary challenge has been regaining trust, both within the community and of the government and military authorities. This chapter argues that this is because the rehabilitation process failed to recognize the challenges of working within a community that is still fractured, still negotiating social cohesion and far from healed from the scars of war.
