Sri Lanka children's homes 'should be shut down

BBC

News South Asia

                         9 September 2011

All children's homes in Sri Lanka should be closed down because of "rampant" abuse, the head of the country's child protection body says.

The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) says it is already working to replace children's homes with a foster parenting system.

Nearly 20,000 children - orphans or children abused by parents or carers - are housed in 470 institutions.

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Over 40,000 yet to be resettled in HSZ

09 September, 2011

42,505 people from 11,648 families are still to be resettled in high security zones in Jaffna, says Divisional Secretary More than 11,000 families from High Security Zones (HTZ) are still to be resettled, the government revealed to Supreme Court. The figures were presented to Supreme Court on Thursday in a document prepared by Jaffna Divisional Secretary (DS) when a Fundamental Rights petition was considered. The petition by a group of Jaffna farmers was stating that they have lost their ancestral land due to the establishment of HSZ. 35,000 families resettled According to the document, 42,505 people belonging to 11,648 families are still to be resettled in Chankanai, Chavakachcheri, Karaveddi, Kopai and Karainagar. The DS statement say that there are 6928 families from Tellippalay still waiting to be resettled. Jaffna Government Agent Emelda Sukumar last month told the Supreme Court that 111,199 people from 35,968 families earlier removed from HSZs in Jaffna have been recently resettled. In May 2006, The Supreme Court ordered the government to initially resettle 7456 families in HSZs in Palaly after considering a petition by Jaffna district parliamentarian Mavai Senadhirajah and another displaced.