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Hope for the future

The first United Nations World Summit on Children opened in New York yesterday and will conclude tomorrow. The fact that the United Nations took over fifty-five years to hold such a summit itself shows that the governments the world over had done enough for children.

The Summit was to be held originally in September 2001 and was postponed subsequent to the World Trade Centre attack in New York.

Of course, there was a World Summit on Children in 1990 but it was not an official UN Conference.

UN Secretary General Kofi Anan is on record as stating that the goals set by the 1990 Summit could not be reached for want of investment.

This is a serious matter that should concern the present Summit and the leaders of states.

Children number 2.1 million at present. It is almost one-third of the total population of 6.1 billion. Every day 129 million children are born. Of the new born babies 1 in 12 dies before the age of 5 years from preventable diseases. Seventeen out of every 100 children (9 girls and 8 boys) do not go to school at all.

There are 300,000 children the world over fighting in wars. Sixty percent of the world's refugees are children.

The list could be enumerated on and on.

The main fact is that we have failed to ensure a safe and healthy environment for the world's children.

The World Summit is expected to focus attention on the key areas of health, education, protection of children and HIV/AIDS.

In Sri Lanka, much has been done and much remains to be done for children. Free education and free health services have had a salutary effect in protecting our children. Sri Lanka is much advanced than most of our neighbours.

However, the fratricidal war that engulfed our society has brought forward many negative consequences that have adversely affected children. There are thousands of children orphaned or who have lost a single parent. Many thousands are languishing in refugee camps with no proper education, health or sanitary facilities. There is also the added problem of child proscription in the North and East.

The rise in crime and offences against children is also another disturbing factor. The prevalence of drugs, alcohol and tobacco brings new woes to our children.

The Ceasefire between the Government and the LTTE and the ongoing peace process now opens new vistas to take fresh initiatives to save our children.

Ensuring the optimum conditions for the normal growth of children should take priority in the efforts at rehabilitation and development of the war affected areas and war affected populations.

Much more has to be done in the education and health spheres. Statistics show an increasing incidence of school dropouts and an increasing no-schooling population. The country's premier health institution for Children, the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children is unable to furnish its new wing for lack of investments. Meanwhile, children die of preventable diseases for want of medical and surgical treatment.

The root cause of many problems affecting children is the poverty of their parents. Poverty alleviation should receive top priority if we are to secure a better future for our children.

Children are our hope and our future.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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