``We can't give you figures because some women spoke to us in confidence. There are many children fathered by soldiers who do not acknowledge the parentage,'' said Nimalka Fernando of the Independent Movement for Inter-racial Justice and Equality. The body is made up of lawyers, academics, representatives of non-governmental organisations and community health workers.

Lanka's 15-year war has spawned a host of problems with the displacement of tens of thousands and the break-up of families. Researchers and NGOs have been studying the effects of war. There is evidence of severe trauma among children and of women, particularly minority Tamils in the war zone, being used as weapons of war.

The Movement presented evidence of majority Sinhalese women - in villages bordering the war zone in the east and north of the island- being used by government soldiers.

``Women go from camp to camp searching for the men who fathered their children only to be told by senior officers that they either are not there or have moved on,'' Fernando said.

The Movement released an interim report by a citizen's commission on the problems gripping people in the border villages where they are routinely harassed by the forces, and face severe shortages of food, basic amenities and loss of security. Government troops have faced accusations in the past of rape and sexual assault of women in the predominantly Tamil areas, but this is the first time that soldiers have been confronted with claims of sexual harassment and intimidation of Sinhalese women. The Commission said it was not able to visit the rebel-controlled areas of the island, but there is enough evidence to prove that security forces in the conflict zones sexually harass and intimidate women.

Fernando said this was not rape, but young women being forced into physical relationships withsoldiers. She quoted one elderly Sinhalese in the northwest Puttalam district as saying: ``We are afraid to send even our children to Buddhist temples nearby because of the presence of the armed forces personnel.'' Chairperson of the commission, Leela Isaac, said most people were desperate for the war to end so they could get on with their lives. ``We want peace is their cry,'' she said quoting from the report.

The report urged the government to ``reduce the suffering of the people to move away from the notion of war as a strategy for peace.''