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| Thursday, 20 May 2004 |
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Abused children now empowered to complain directly to police by Chandani Jayatilleke Chathura and Vidura (not their real names) aged 16 and 14 were the children of a wealthy couple from Colombo and enjoyed a reasonably good childhood till their father left them and their mother to live with another woman. The devastated mother of these children sought the help of a 'Kapu mahaththaya' in a 'devale' to get her husband back. Having visited the 'devale' several times, she became a close friend of Kapu Mahaththaya, who ultimately became her paramour. Soon, Kapu Mahathathaya came to know about her wealth and instead of helping her to achieve her goal, brainwashed her and made her to agree to the sale of her property which is worth millions of rupees. The mother foolishly agreed to Kapu Mahaththaya's proposal, forgetting the rights of her children. Children not only lost their father, but also the mother and were about to lose the property that they were to inherit. While their mother was making arrangements to sell the property and share the money with Kapu mahaththaya, the children sought the assistance of the Police. The Children and Women's Bureau of Police immediately intervened in the issue and took legal measures to safeguard the rights of the children. The sale was halted and legal action taken against the mother and her paramour and the children's rights to education and health were protected. This was just one example of the responsibilities undertaken by the Children and Women's Bureau. As far as children's rights are concerned, the existing laws in this country are in children's favour. For children and women, there are special/strong laws as amended in 1995 and 1998 on a directive of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. Police has also been given maximum powers against the culprits and protect the rights of children. Empowered by the legal system, coupled with new amendments, children's rights are widely spoken of in this country today than never before. In Sri Lanka, children now have the right to directly complain to Police against parents or guardians against cruelty, negligence, or for denying their rights to education and health or any form of child abuse. Education and health facilities are two prime rights of children in Sri Lanka according to the present law. However, in recent times, the authorities have come across situations where children have been denied medical or health facilities or been neglected by their parents due to religious beliefs. Some sections believe in saying prayers than getting medical treatment for cures, when a family member falls ill. Owing to this, a child died of a serious sickness recently in Hanwella. According to the Children and Women's Bureau of the Police, though that was the only case which got much publicity, their investigations have revealed that many other children have been denied medical treatment by their parents in several areas in the country. This is a major form of child abuse. Any child has the right to medical treatment. But parents of certain religions hold a different opinion and even if the child dies they believe it a good thing. But in legal terms, this is an injustice done to children and a form of child abuse, says OIC Admin (Children and Women's Bureau), Manoj Samarasekara.This can be described as a situation where a child's right to education and health service has been taken away by the parents. In such a situation, parents can be found guilty. Considering these facts, the police has sought the advice of the Attorney-General to introduce necessary laws in this regard, he said. Child abuse is basically divided into two segments; mental and physical abuse. "In the recent times we have seen more physical abuse cases. Besides, there have been many cases of mental abuse too," he said. In protecting children, parents, teachers and guardians have an equal responsibility as most of the culprits in child abuse cases have been found within family circles. Any complaints in this regard can be directed to Children and Women's Bureau, 25, Sir Baron Jayatilleke Mw. Colombo 1 or on phone 94-11-2444444. |
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