Lankan children are peace-lovers

"IF THE world gets to see that we are living in peace, that will make us so happy that we can be proud of our country."

This is a quote from a Sri Lankan child who participated in a recent poll on peace. And this is substantial evidence that "Sri Lankan children are peace lovers and they yearn to continue to live in a peaceful environment."

A 97 percent of 1,500 children islandwide who participated in the poll had said they want to promote peace and bridge political and ethnic differences when they grow up. While only three present of them would be in favour of fighting a war if they were President in the country.

The children who were interviewed during this poll had also said that they have felt many benefits after the Ceasefire Agreement. Interestingly, 97 percent of children, who are aware of the peace process, see the peace process as good for Sri Lanka.

The changes they have observed after the ceasefire agreement include a reduction in killings; development of the country; and a safer and peaceful environment in which to live.

Children's opinions communicated through this poll would definitely indicate the need for achieving sustainable peace in the country. And these opinions will be a strong base to better understand the views and perceptions of our children on peace and the climate for peace in Sri Lanka.

This is a major point for the authorities to consider seriously. And they should also listen and respect the views expressed by children through this survey. The children's support for peace is good news for the entire country as they represent both the present and the future.

Children are the future of our nation. They would some day stand as leaders and decision-makers to govern the country. If they possess positive and wise opinions such as what they have expressed through this survey, the future of our country could be wonderful.

At a time the island is emerging from 20-years of conflict, it is a fact to be delighted that children are also becoming a strong force in the peace process and have learnt to express their voices in the peace building process.

Children who participated in the survey also felt that if the armed conflict was resolved, the money spent on the war could be utilised to develop schools; help children from different ethnic groups coexist; allow children in the North and East to go back to school; and rebuild schools destroyed by war.

How true it is. We have noticed many children live in conflict affected areas have returned to schools following the peaceful environment created by the ceasefire agreement.

During a recent visit to Jaffna we met a group of schoolchildren who had just begun to feel the happiness of peace. During the conflict, these children were not as spirited as now. They looked lethargic; many suffered from malnutrition; their uniforms and hair were untidy.

Today, their behaviour and health attitudes have greatly improved. They attend school on a regular basis and the number of school dropouts in schools in Jaffna has come down, according to Education authorities there.

The conflict has left traumatic experiences in young children's minds. Some of these experiences include horror, terror and helplessness.

Having realised the need to mend these young minds, many schools have programmes to mentally support and encourage children of internally displaced families to pursue their education.

"They need to overcome their psycho issues created by various unfortunate incidents during the conflict," a teacher of Jaffna told us.

Children attend school and follow school programmes with much enthusiasm. Why? Because they love peace. And in this peaceful environment, they have got an opportunity to express themselves, learn new skills, and demonstrate their talents in many different fields.

The restarting of school has made a clear difference in their lives. To support their psychological behaviours further, many schools in the conflict affected areas have started psycho-social education programmes, implemented with the support of many foreign donor agencies.

These children also told us that peace has brought many benefits to their own lives, their parents' lives and their society as a whole.

It is therefore, the responsibility of the Government to encourage children's views on peace and protect and safeguard the rights of the children and allow them to grow up as responsible persons with good morale and attitude.

Only a generation with good spirits and morals values could emerge as leaders and rule the country in a proper manner in the future.

Keeping this in mind, the PA Government led by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga took initiatives to set up the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) under Parliamentary Act No. 50 of 1998.

The NCPA is the first of its kind in Asia. Besides setting up the NCPA, during 1994-2001, President Kumaratunga took a series of measures to improve the well-being of children by bringing about education, health and legal reforms and school nutrition programmes.

The Children's Opinion Poll was conducted by the Children As Zones of Peace (CZOP), a collaboration of local and international NGOs and UN agencies. And the islandwide survey was done among 1,500 children between the ages of nine and 16, from different religions, ethnic groups and socio-economic classes.

The CZOP initiative was established to promote and protect the rights of children affected by the armed conflict believes that children's views on peace should be listened to by all parties and every effort should be made to bring about lasting peace for all Sri Lankan children.

While children express their candid opinions on the importance of peace in Sri Lanka, the authorities should have the ability to listen to their views on the issue. And it is necessary that children's opinions in this regard be respected and encouraged at all times.

- (CJ)