S. J. Anthony Fernando
Media Secretary, Ministry of Interior
Abuse of children can happen in various ways and in places most unimaginable. Children innocent as they are often do not complain even if they are ill-treated or sexually abused. Though it happens in everyday occurrence yet only a fraction of such incidents come to light, primarily due to many turning a blind eye even if they come across such occurences. Only when serious incidents like rape, torture are reported that people tend to sit up and take note.

Though the problem of child abuse had been the subject of much study and topic of seminars yet the detections made so far according to experts reflects only the tip of the iceberg.

According to experts on child care, child abuse could be defined as acts or ommissions leading to actual or potential damage to health and development and exposure to unnecessary suffering. Types of child abuse, which often get ignored, are physical abuse, nutrition neglect, sexual abuse, intentional drugging and poisoning, neglect of medical care, emotional abuse, child labour and conscription by armies. We may observe these happenings right under our nose yet tend to ignore them as normal occurence. The gravity of the problem emerges when we consider the permanent ill-effects such abuse will have on the children when they grow up. Many such abuses lead them to take to various crimes or vices when they grow up.

Clergymen

How many such instances of child abuse happen in homes, schools, even in most holy sanctums. We have had the story in certain European countries where certain clergymen or teachers are convicted of abuse of children 10 to 20 years after the time of abuse, when the children when they grow up become wiser and complain about their childhood experiences. In Sri Lanka though such happenings cannot be ruled out yet they remain dormant due to the social stigma that follows.

Yet it is time that we all sit up and take note and tackle the problems of child abuse particularly in view of the moral degradation in various strata of society with children easily exposed to more vices and bad influence.

The Universal Children’s Day which falls on October 1st gives us an opportunity to focus on this problem once again. While various state and non governmental organizations and UN Agencies have launched special campaigns in schools, community centers and public places conducting special programmes of awareness of the problem it is essential that surveillance and monitoring is carried out by law enforcement authorities to at least contain to some degree instances of child abuse.

It is in this context that the Minsiter of Interior John Amaratunge has got the police activated to play a prominent role in tackling the problem of child abuse. He has initiated a programme for the police to work in close co-ordination with the statutory body set up to tackle child abuse — the National Child Protection Authority — to handle the tasks of investigation, monitoring and prosecution in instances of child abuse. This authority was set up nearly two years ago by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and functions under her.

As a first step a special police unit comprising initially 15 trained policemen and policewomen will be set up at the premises of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) at No. 330, Thalawathugoda Road, Madiwela to help in investigating cases of child abuse and keeping a constant supervision of places where such abuses are likely to take place. In addition the minister has detailed that at least one police officer trained in handling child abuse cases be posted to each police station to tackle instances of abuse. These police officers will co-ordinate with the NCPA which can provide expert advice and guidance as well as high tech investigative techniques to help detect instances of child abuse and prosecute the offenders. Already the UNICEF and other NGOs have started training programmes for these officers so as to update their capabilities. The NCPA also possesses a separate video unit which can take visuals of child victims which are legally admissible evidence in courts under the law which set up the NCPA.

Though the NCPA had been functioning for two years and a new headquarters provided at Madiwela built at a cost of Rs. 17 Million as an outright grant from the British Government it has been hampered due to lack of sufficient personnel to handle the investigative or do folow up work in monitoring and prosecution. The new police unit which will be housed at the NCPA headquarters will assist to a great degree.

Minister John Amaratunge and his ministry officials and the police had finalized the action programme to be launched at a series of discussions held with the Chairman of the National Child Protection Authority Prof. Harendra de Silva and his officials.

According to NCPA Chairman Prof. de Silva, last year alone 1200 cases of child abuse were handed over to the Attorney General for prosecution. However this is only a fraction of the actual position as many cases are not reported. The NCPA also has a Cyber Watch Unit which scans websites for advertisements soliciting children under 14 years. It is a punishable offence to employ any person below 14 years of age under the law of the country. However this too is happening in the breach.

Minister John Amaratunge commenting on the problem said that though several cases of child abuse like sexual abuse, cruelty to children, use of child labour, use of children in drug trafficking had been reported yet there were many which go undetected due to lack of personnel to investigate and do folow up action. The police will now work in close co-ordination with the NCPA in this regard.

However the minsiter feels that they would not be able to tackle the problem effectively if there was no public co-operation in this regard. The public should inform the police or the NCPA about instances of child abuse without turning a blind eye when they see them. Details of such instances could be given to the NCPA on telephones 778911-3 or Fax 778915.

Meanwhile Prof. Herendra de Silva, Chairman of NCPA has some interesting disclosures to make in a study he had made of some features of child abuse.

States Prof. de Silva: "Although most often, not reported or not identified, the most commonly encountered type of abuse is probably physical abuse. Often the injury is unexplained or there is an inconsistency between the explanation which often is trivial and the injury which would often be a major injury. There is also often a delay in getting medical attention.

Drug users and alcoholic parents

"The abuser is often a related care-giver or male ‘friend’ of the mother. Occasionally it is caused by an unrelated person or a sibling. It exists in all ethnic, religious, educational, social and economic groups. It is more in families with increased number of crises in life and limited economic and social resources and where spouses are abused. It is more amongst drug users and alcoholic parents. The abuser, usually the parents are unhappy and angry adults under heavy stress and the abuse is due to sudden anger provoked by some ‘misbehaviour’ by the child."

Prof. de Silva contends that a greater public awareness is essential to tackle this problem and the media has a big role to play in raising various social issues and implications not merely reporting cases of abuse more as sensational items. The public, specially children and teachers should be educated to report such instances with children educated how to say no when the request for abuse comes from a ‘bigger’ persons or a person with ‘authority’ (eg. parents, older persons, teachers, priests).