Children of Lanka

The sentiments expressed by President Mahinda Rajapakse at the launch of the National Year for Children at the BMICH on Wednesday should warm the cockles of many who have the welfare of children in mind.

The Head of State emphasised that the aim of his Government was to ensure that the fruits of all work undertaken on behalf of children reached across the country and enjoyed on an equitable basis.

"I want the fruits of the work for our children to spread evenly through the country from Point Pedro to Dondra Head," President Rajapakse told the gathering.

The President also said: "within this year we shall be able to build a path to bring about solutions to a wide range of problems. These extend from child soldiers of the North, street children of the South, the issue of children in domestic labour as well as the problem of children displaced and affected by the ravages of war and the 2004 tsunami."

The vehicle in which these objectives are to be achieved is the new Ministry created for Child Welfare as promised in Mahinda Chintana.

The country has heard several cliches concerning children parroted by politicians and other worthies. Those that readily come to mind are about children forming the next generation and children being our future leaders. 'The nation's wealth is its children' is another phrase that is often heard.

It has to be admitted that thus far very little has been achieved in addressing the core issues of the subject. Walk down any city street and one would come across hoards of urchins robbed of their innocence living in a world all their own. Children who ought to be in school are employed as domestics or as tea boys or waiters in some sleazy eating joints.

There have been efforts before to seriously address the problem of children. It is only the lack of will to pursue these goals that causes the collapse of all programmes and projects undertaken on behalf of children. All international conventions binding us to guidelines too have been of no avail.

The laudable objective of the President on behalf of the country's child population should have the necessary backing of the country's administrative machinery. As in the past too the programmes drawn up on behalf of children should not be allowed to fall by the wayside due to bureaucratic lethargy.

That President Rajapakse means business this time around is apparent given the special interest he evinced in the welfare of children even during his Presidential campaign. His task though is daunting and he will need the summoning all the resources at his disposal to tackle this most vexed problem.

Today the topic uppermost discussed in international fora dealing with children is the magnitude of child exploitation in certain Third World countries. Not long ago a TV programme here showed how children as young as six years are employed in smoke laden factories exposed to dust and contaminated air in Brazil. Though here in Sri Lanka such scenarios are absent can we be entirely happy with the way our child population is treated ?

We have amidst the floating population in the Colombo city a dark underbelly where child sex and other forms of exploitation abound. Numerous are the accounts reported in the media where cruelty to children have been highlighted with graphic pictures of the victims. Today poverty has became a ready tool for unscrupulous persons to employ children for nefarious activities.

There is also the dark patch relating to street children where kids hardly out of their "toddlerhood" shorn off all childhood innocence are pushed into vice and rackets by unscrupulous elements and youth in their early teens forced to undertake menial tasks by mudalalis for a pittance.

Poverty also has robbed these street children of all the joys of youth and innocence and made them hardened individuals angry with society which could pose its own problems in the long run.

Above all the matter surrounding child soldiers should be tackled forthwith since this cannot be allowed to proceed unchecked for much longer. How this matter will be approached is difficult to gauge going by previous efforts by international mediators. The matter should be urgently addressed at the upcoming Geneva talks.

It augers well that President has firmly stressed he will be able to achieve the goals set on behalf of the country's child population. All should help him in this noble endeavour.