An increasing number of widows in northern Sri Lanka are dealing with the aftermath of the country’s civil war by taking painkillers, say priests.

“They are buying the painkillers from local shops,” said Father E.S.C. Mariathas, “but what they need above all is treatment for the stress they feel, since the war turned their lives into misery, desperation and insecurity.”

About 20 Catholic priests from Mannar and Jaffna dioceses have been assigned to the former war zones in the north, to set about returning thousands of resettled families to a stable, sustainable, integrated life.

They have encountered loneliness and insecurity among the widows. Many see little or no chance of re-marrying as it carries a social stigma and there are few eligible males. These problems are especially felt by many younger widows.

“One after another, they come to tell me stories of immense loss, grief and anger,” says Father Mariathas, who has around 620 widows and 25 orphans in the two village parishes he looks after. “They squat by their temporary sheds, muttering their remembrances, with their children clinging to them. They seem like mad people. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, they wake up screaming.”

Father Arulanandam Johnaly Yavis in Kilinochchi told ucanews.com: “We try our level best to reduce the pain. Great effort is necessary to reach out and help them.” The priest, who is president of the Jaffna Diocesan Priests Union, pointed out that the Church prioritizes help to favor widows and orphans.

In an effort to provide livelihoods for up to 40,000 war widows, the UN industrial development agency UNIDO is working to create small and medium sized enterprises in Sri Lanka’s north and east.

Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa held a historic cabinet meeting in Kilinochchi city, formerly the Tamil Tigers’ administrative capital, where he promised that the troublesome past was over and destroyed infrastructure would be re-built.

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