Are Children Safe From Abuse In Sri Lanka?
Raj Gonsalkorale
The recent much publicised, despicable event in Sri Lanka when a ruggerite from St. Peters college, possibly in his mid to late teens, was repeatedly slapped by his coach in the full glare of the public eye says so much about how our society is evolving or has already evolved. The event itself is no doubt one amongst hundreds and thousands of occurrences where helpless children are abused by their teachers while at school and by their parents when they are home. While abuse itself is despicable. The inability of the State and non-state entities to protect children while allowing perpetrators to go scot free is even more despicable.
Despite the hoopla about safeguarding children and their rights, the Sri Lankan State has failed to ensure these rights and have a mechanism to provide redress to children who are being abused. The toothless pussy cat, the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), is a joke and it does not provide any effective mechanism to protect children. It is another bureaucracy for providing a well-paid resting place for supporters of the governing party. The NCPA web site does not record data about the number of telephone calls or appeals they have received from the public and they do not record what action they have taken when such appeals are made. It does not record the outcomes of any investigations they have made on complaints received. In the absence of such data, what other conclusions could the public come to except to say it is a joke?
Child abuse is any behaviour that harms a child (in this case anyone under 18). It can take many forms, including physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as neglect and exploitation.
In Sri Lanka, if a child has been abused, or know someone that has, who does one go to? The effects of abuse on a child are serious and long-lasting. No matter when the abuse has occurred, whether in the past or it’s something that’s ongoing, children in Sri Lanka are helpless and there are no effective remedial measures for them to seek counselling and justice.
What is child abuse?
The following are based on expert study reports cited in the internet.
Abusive behaviour involves treating someone with cruelty or violence. It often happens regularly or repeatedly. There are four main types of accepted forms of abuse:
- Physical abuse: any use of physical force against a child that doesn’t happen by accident and causes injury. Hitting, beating, shaking, punching, biting, burning, scratching, strangling or choking a child are all examples of child abuse.
- Sexual abuse: any type of sexual involvement or contact between a child and an adult. Sexual abuse can be voyeurism (spying on or watching a child), sexual acts and incest (sex between family members).
- Emotional abuse: a pattern of denying a child love, approval and security, or mistreating a child in the way an adult speaks to them or acts towards them. Bullying, yelling, isolating, criticising, terrorising, ignoring and shaming are all types of emotional abuse.
- Neglect: failing to provide a child with the things they need to grow, such as shelter, food, hygiene, supervision, medical attention, education or safety.
Why are children abused?
