Now the population is less than 500,000. Social conditions here have deteriorated enormously. About two years ago, Dr. Selvarajah of Jaffna University published a research report on children of this region. In it he pointed out that one of every five children born in Jaffna dies before the age of five. According to a Red Cross report, over 58 percent of Jaffna's children suffer from malnutrition.
Children born are underweight.
These are the harsh realities of this war. We supervise the rehabilitation programs conducted by the government. But we see this work is done by the regime having one foot firmly placed on the military and the war. I also asked an ordinary citizen about how people carry on with their daily lives. Even for a family of five, this is not enough to have two meals a day for more than four days in a week.