- Raising awareness on the growing concern of child abuse in SL
The virtual launch of the #JustANumber Child Protection Month, hosted by Stop Child Cruelty Trust (SCC) in commemoration of Children’s Day took place yesterday (30 September). The esteemed panel featured Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, University of Colombo Emeritus Professor of Law and former Vice Chancellor Prof. Savithri Goonesekere, and Stop Child Cruelty Trust Chairperson Dr. Tush Wickramanayaka.
Vision and mission
It was announced during the event that the very first initiative under this advocacy campaign will be a national art and speech competition. The moderator narrated: “The competition aims to create a platform for children as young as six years up to 18 years to share their own, unique perspective on the country’s child protection crisis and encourage them to directly get involved in the decision making related to their welfare.”
We were further informed that the #JustANumber Child Protection Month will be hosting a range of events including a series of online forums that will take place every weekend from the 1 October until the 20 November 2021.
The goal behind #JustANumber is to raise awareness on the fundamental rights of children through various public programmes. The event highlighted that the main point of this launch is to compel the Parliament to change the Penal Code on Cruelty to Children, especially following the Supreme Court’s recognition of corporal punishment of children by schools as unlawful and a violation of a child’s right. In order to go forth with this aim, SCC will also collaborate with like-minded Civil Society Organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations to form Sri Lanka’s first ever Child Protection Alliance.
Prevalence of child abuse in SL
Highlighting the sad situation in Sri Lanka in regard to child abuse cases, it was brought to light that during the past year, there were five children who were physically and sexually abused to the point of death in Sri Lanka. Despite having signed the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) three decades ago and being the only South Asian country committed to Sustainable Development Goal 16.2 to end violence against children, the country still lacks a national child protection framework.
Commenting on the admirable work done by the SCC, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said: “Child protection is the ultimate measurement of the level of civilisation in a society, and I applaud the efforts of Stop Child Cruelty Trust in establishing the Child Protection Alliance to find solutions to the current child protection crisis in Sri Lanka.” Having authorised amendments to the Penal Code 308A Cruelty to Children in 1996, established the Child Protection Authority in 1998, and approved the Ministry of Education Circular 17/2005 to ban corporal punishment in schools in 2005, she also noted the lack of policies in place that are being carried out to protect children, and stated that authorities should resolve the child protection crisis effectively without politicising matters by working cohesively with Non-Governmental Organisations.
Further commenting on how to effectively reduce the climbing number of child abuse cases, Prof. Savithri Goonesekere adviced the country and its governing body to strengthen the law enforcement by rejecting the proverbial rhetoric by relevant authorities and urged them to respond to child cruelty by engaging with children. “This is a creative strategy and perhaps the one effective way to address Sri Lanka’s child protection crisis,” she added, further commending the work that the SCC is putting into preventing child abuse and providing apt solutions to the issue at hand.
Issues pertaining to child abuse
The webinar also touched on the issue of corporal punishment in Sri Lanka’s schools, which was why SCC was initially launched. At the event, it was observed that Sri Lanka ratified the UNCRC in 1991, but lags behind the rest of the world in eliminating corporal punishment. Even though there have been government directives/circulars instructing staff not to use corporal punishment in schools, such punitive disciplinary procedures are condoned by many educators and parents, and continue to be legal/lawful. It is socially acceptable because they reflect upon their own personal experiences, often glorifying severe punishments they received in their youth. Punishment is justified on the basis that such cruel activities did not harm us, certainly it would not harm our children.
Speaking as the Chairperson of Stop Child Cruelty Trust, Dr. Wickramanayaka explained that even with the unprecedented rise in child abuse on our paradise island, the relevant authorities appear to be crippled in their efforts to protect and promote our children’s rights. He expressed that child protection is a collective social responsibility, and that Stop Child Cruelty is fully committed to becoming the powerful force behind increasing knowledge and engagement to empower Sri Lankans across the country to recognise the child as a rights holder.
He further added that the SCC will work with determination in the coming months to eradicate child abuse by breaking down factors like corporal punishment that leads to abuse.
Those interested in getting involved towards the protection of children in Sri Lanka can visit www.stopchildcruelty.com or email info@stopchildcruelty.com.
