Child safety in society is a Human Right! - EDITORIAL

Children in Sri Lanka are not safe when in the company of unknown adults. And when reading recent news we get to understand that even boys are equally vulnerable to abuse as much as girls are in this island.
Recently there was a spate of incidents where male children were abused. What’s alarming is that in some of these cases the culprits were Buddhist monks; in one of these incidents the accused was a layman posing as a Buddhist monk in charge of a famous temple.

As much as we must be concerned about these children undergoing trauma we must look at the availability of their mothers and also if the latter is playing responsible roles in their respective family lives.
There is enough news doing the rounds that much of these abuse incidents are taking place because of mothers being abroad. Most mothers are employed as housemaids. It is in this context that we must discuss the Government’s recent decision to reduce the age of a child from five to two if the mother is to receive clearance to emigrate in search of employment.

There are old stories where wise women in societies start analyzing when they see a child going to school without his or her uniform being ironed. There can be two assumptions with regard to the uniform not being ironed; one is that the iron could be malfunctioning and the other could be that the mother figure is missing at home. This is the case with most homes where the wife plays the role of breadwinner while stationed abroad.
But here in Sri Lanka we are seeing worse things than crumpled uniforms. We are seeing crushed spirits of children because of abuse by adults. If we speak to the child protection authorities their workforce is efficiently at work with everything in order; except the records on child abuse.

Earlier the law was that a Sri Lankan mother could not go abroad if her child was under the age of five years. Still critics questioned that earlier law because perpetrators don’t give regard to age when they set their mind on abusing a child. Even out in the wild how adult animals hunt differs with age. We’ve seen predators like a grown-up leopard showing mercy when they find a fawn abandoned by an adult deer during a hunt. We’ve seen leopards showing love and warmth when what they find during a hunt boils down to a young deer or an antelope. Even animals show unseen human qualities when dealing with ‘little ones’!

A child being abused amounts to his or her human rights being violated. Sri Lanka needs tougher laws as measures to prevent child abuse. What’s also cause for alarm is that child abuse has been rampant over the past two years. But then on the other hand the conviction rates regarding child abuse has been considerably low during the past two decades.

Sri Lanka’s present economic situation is so pathetic that mothers are also seeking employment abroad to keep the home fires burning. But the government authorities here are concerned whether these mothers are making the wise arrangement when it comes to choosing someone to be in charge of children in their absence. It is good that the present laws specify that a mother wishing to go abroad must certify with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment by an affidavit that she has made adequate arrangements back at home to protect her children in her absence.

We hear of protests being made to oust corrupt lawmakers. But seldom do we hear of protests being carried out to bring to book perpetrators who are accused of abusing children. One such rare occasion was witnessed in February this year when villagers in Wattavalai took to the street in protest demanding justice for a child abused by a priest and legal action to be taken against the latter for the crime committed.
We must remember above everything else that a child’s protection is of paramount importance and his or her safety in society is a Human Right.