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by Rev. Fr. S Guy de Fontgalland

International Children's Day doesn't fall only on October 1. It should be celebrated each and every day. In many developing countries special attention is given to child protection, child rights, and child needs. They execute special laws and separate commissioners are also being appointed. A society should respect the children as it respects the elders. The children cannot voice for their rights.

Therefore the society and the adults have to voice for children's rights and help meet their needs. On and often the International documents focuses on human dignity. On this ground, considering as a human being, a child has all the right to be respected with dignity.

A child is not a playing object, a pleasure toy or a working machine. If we are to change the society it has to be started from the children. For example today we have accepted gender equality in general. If it is so we have to initiate treating children equally. An English poet has stated that the "Child is the Father of Man". The psychologists have confirmed a man's behaviour depends on how he was treated during the first five years of his childhood. Therefore the childhood is very important from where the social changes to take place.

Children in the plantation under 5 years

This year (2002) the theme for International Children's Day is "Science and children". According to Kadows British report in an economically backward society where there is no proper housing to live as a family, infrastructures are to be established in that society. But in the plantation society in Sri Lanka no such infrastructures are created. The child spends its first five years in the line room and in the creche and its future has turned to be a question mark.  

This clearly reveals that the number is decreasing yearly instead of increasing. The factor is 60% of the eligible couples have undergone the permanent sterilization which is induced in the plantations. Of these children less than 30% live in the creches and only 3% goes to pre-schools and others remain in the line rooms. In 2001 an average of 80,000 were children under 5 years.

According to the statistics, out of the total population, 32.92 percent are under the age of 18 years. (In this census the plantation Tamils, whether they have citizenship or not, were registered as Indian Tamils. If they claim to be Sri Lankan Tamils, their birth certificates were to be checked and enter accordingly.)

As in the report given by an NGO to the newspapers recently, 230,000 plantation children, under the age of 18 years are, employed. But no source was given to verify this figure. A survey report of ILO (International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour) 475,531 children, under the age of 14, are employed in Sri Lanka.

(International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) functioning under Labour Organization, carried out Child Activity Survey, Sri Lanka 1999. Published by Department of Census & Statistics, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Sri Lanka,p.29)

It is reported in the survey 926,037 children are engaged in economic activities. Out of this 575,531(52%) are below the age of 15 years.

They are engaged in economic activities either while attending school/educational institution or not attending such an institution. Of the 234,618 children in an economic activity not attending any educational institution, 25,533(11%) are below 15 years of age.

69,064 children are reported engaged in economic activity. Out of this 30,533 children (45%) are living away from the family and 9% of the children who are reported to be idling and also living away from the family. Further, more recently report of PEACE (protecting Environment & Children Everywhere) stated that 10,000 children in the age group of 6-14 years are exploited for commercial purposes. The Act of 1956 prohibits employing women, young persons and children under the age of 14 years in general.

In 1996/97 the percentage of non-schooling and dropouts in the plantation sector was 12.7 whereas in other schools it was 8.8 percent. According to statistical reports in 1997/98, in Sri Lanka 61,000 children in the age group of 5-14 were not attending schools. This is only 1.4 of this age group.

If we take 200,000 children schooling in 2001, and deduct the 10% dropouts, (20,000), the schooling children will be 180,000. Further of the total children population under 18 years, we have to deduct 4.5% children who are disabled mentally, physically and other sickness, that amounts to 15,273.

According to calculation 64,408 children are unaccounted. Out of this even if, accounted to a high rate 50% employed, the total is 32,204. Therefore 230,000 plantation children being employed is a myth. Children from the plantation up to February this year, were scared to move away due to security reasons.

After February because of Memorandum of Understanding, some children above 14 years without fear were able to move out of the estates with the inducement from the child recruiting brokers for employment, mostly for domestic purposes and to work in shops.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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