Relief for parents neglected by children

An opportunity has been created to claim maintenance of neglected parents from their children under the provisions of Parliamentary Act No. 09 of 2000 for the Protection of the Rights of the Elders.

In accordance with Clause 15(1) of this Act, it is deemed essential that children should not under any circumstance willfully neglect their parents and a duty is cast upon them to take care of their parents and attend to all their requirements, a Social Services and Social Welfare Ministry release said.

Parents neglected could claim maintenances from their children monthly, periodically or by way of a lump sum under the provisions of this Act. For this task, the National Secretariat of the Elders operating under the purview of the Ministry of Social Services and Social Welfare has set up a Mediation Board for Elders.

This Board has been appointed under the instructions of Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda by the Judicial Service Commission. Retired High Court Judge Dudley Karunaratne and Dhanawardhana Guruge has been appointed as Chairman and member of the Board respectively.

The first Mediation Board was set up in June 2003 and by May 30, 2008 it had received 322 claims. A majority, numbering 18 were from the Western Province, of these 188 have already been settled.

On the instructions of Minister Devananda, the National Council of the Elders decided to expand its activities at its meeting recently. The Legal Aid Commission has agreed to extend its full support for this.

The Legal Aid Commission that has set up 146 centres islandwide decided to provide relief measures to affected elders through the legal officers assigned to these centres.

This procedure intended to be launched will help the victims to sort out their problems in the areas they live without undergoing the hassle of traveling to Colombo.

V. Jegarasasingham, Ministry Secretary, Dudley Karunaratne, Chairman, Mediation Board and retired High Court Judge, Dhanawardhana Guruge, Member of the Mediation Board, Yamuna Chitrangani, Additional Secretary, Geethamani Karunaratne, Director, National Secretariat of the Elders and members of the National Council of the Elders took part at this discussion.