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| Saturday, 2 October 2004 |
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Politics | |
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| Govt seeks to ensure violence free environment - PM The Government is committed to end the ethnic conflict and ensure a violence-free environment for all war-affected children in the country, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse said. Addressing a ceremony organised by the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC), the Prime Minister said the Government and the whole country have a great responsibility towards children, especially those displaced by the war. "More than 80 per cent of the total number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country are women and children. Even now there are around 307 IDP camps in the North East providing shelter to them. They are waiting to return to their homes and it is our responsibility to help them," Premier Rajapakse said. At the ceremony, 100 children from different war torn areas in the North East received prizes for excelling at a drawing competition organised by SLHRC's National Protection and Durable Solution for IDPs project. An exhibition featuring drawings of the children was also held parallel to the ceremony at the Jayawardene Cultural Centre. SLHRC Director Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy said children at IDP camps were one of the most neglected segments of the country. "The competition was organised to give these children an opportunity to express themselves. The drawings of the exhibitions portray the violence they experienced and their dreams of a better world. Our responsibility is to raise awareness among the people about their concerns," she said. |
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