Do we care for those who dare?

In an article we published yesterday on the welfare of the security personnel, the disabled soldiers and their families, the Chairperson of the Rana Viru Seva Authority, Dr. Narme F. Wickremasinghe asks the question "Do we care for those who dare?"

This is the question that every Sri Lankan opposed to terrorism must ask himself or herself.

Thousands of security personnel have so far been killed in the on-going war and thousands more have been incapacitated. Thousands of women are today war-widows fending for themselves. The disabled soldiers are denied an opportunity to engage in productive activities. Many of them have become a burden on their poor families aggravating their problems. Children of those who have died in action or sustained disabilities are undergoing immense hardships.

The plight of war widows is brought to light in the article under discussion. It relates how a military deserter once tried to molest a young war widow and got away scot free even after a complaint was made to the police against him. Sexual harassment of war widows, the writer points out, is a common problem. A shocking revelation indeed!

The article also sheds light on the obstacles faced by the courageous disabled soldiers who, not deterred by their disabilities, want to lead a near normal life. They are debarred like all other disabled persons from taking public transport as our buses and trains are not equipped to take on board wheelchairs. They are also denied access to places like government institutions situated on upper floors of buildings sans elevators as they have no way of taking their wheelchairs in or taking the stairs, on crutches. They are also without basic facilities such as toilets in public places as well as in most government and private institutions. Thousands of others share the predicament of Gunasekera, the disabled soldier mentioned in the article.

How female security personnel are put through the hoop by male chauvinists and how repulsive their working conditions are, are highlighted in the article. It says how 50 women soldiers were living in a small house meant for a single family. That this kind of shabby treatment debilitates their morale is not difficult to understand.

The Chairperson of the Rana Viru Seva Authority also draws the attention of the powers that be to the squalid state of a transit camp in Colombo meant for troops awaiting air travel to operational areas. The place is said to accommodate as many as one thousand troops though it has only 25 toilets and one bathing place. It also has no proper ventilation and adequate lighting, it is said.

This, it may be safely argued, is only the tip of the iceberg. In other places like the operational areas the situation may be far worse. This is a pointer that despite having been at war against a terrorist outfit for nearly two decades the state still does not have the basic infrastructure required for the war effort, in place.

Embroiled though the country is in a protracted conflict and an attendant economic crisis, it is imperative that efforts be made to improve the working conditions of those on whose performance the territorial integrity of the state depends. Else, desertions which plagues the Sri Lankan military is only to be expected. The same could be said of the welfare of the disabled soldiers, their families and the families of those who have died in action.

Although some effort has been made to look after them, much more is desired by way of a meaningful programme aimed at their welfare. Public support is yet to be mobilised to the fullest for this purpose. It is time a nation wide campaign devoid of petty political objectives was launched to help the disabled security personnel, their families and the families of the war heroes.

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