Tackling predators of innocents | Daily News

Tackling predators of innocents

NCPA deals with traditional forms of child abuse and new threats such as the Dark Web and tourist hotspots

The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) which functions under the Women and Child Affairs and Dry Zone Development Ministry is the lead agency to ensure that children are free from all sorts of abuse (physical, sexual, or verbal) in Sri Lanka. They envisage creating a safe and friendly environment for children.

“The National Child Protection Authority has established the Sri Lanka Child Help Line ‘1929’ to receive public complaints on child abuse and direct them to the proper authorities when necessary,” a spokesman for the NCPA told the Daily News.

This is the leading mechanism for receiving complaints on child abuse and responding to them speedily. The hotline ‘1929’ can be contacted free through any telecom provider, from anywhere in the country, at any time of the day, any day of the week, in Sinhala, Tamil or English. The identities of callers are kept strictly confidential and only the relevant information is forwarded to the law enforcement agencies.

Accordingly, 1929 receives information on child abuse and maltreatment and refers them to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for necessary action. Through 1929, a confidential telephone counselling service is also available for children who have suffered abuse or trauma. The hotline responds not only to the emergency needs of the children, but also links them to appropriate services for the long-term care and rehabilitation that is necessary for abused and traumatised children. The NCPA also provides assistance and counselling for children orphaned in natural and manmade disasters, such as the recent Easter bombings which left many children without their parents.

Hotline

Information gathered through 1929 is referred for investigation and appropriate relief provided by various government stakeholders in child protection. The progress of these relief mechanisms is closely supervised by the sensitive and well-trained staff of NCPA making sure that the best interests of the children is ensured.

“The NCPA has an in-house police unit comprising specially trained personnel, including women police officers, who can handle most complaints without seeking the assistance of the police stations. This further strengthens the confidentiality of informants and the information provided and ensures protection for the victims,” the NCPA spokesman said.

This special police investigations unit of the National Child Protection Authority speedily investigates complaints on child abuse received from the public by the Authority over the 1929 Child Help Line and through other methods in order to take legal action in relation to them. A team of 34 officers is rostered 24/7 for this task.

“The NCPA identifies children who are victimised, marginalised and vulnerable as a result of child abuse and action is taken to provide assistance for education,” the spokesman added. Educational assistance is provided to children under the Sustainable Development Goal, ‘Education for all’.

The Dark Web

Internet crimes against children including child pornography and paedophile networks are a contemporary social problem here and abroad which have drawn a great deal of attention from parents, educators, legislators, and law enforcement officials. An Internet crime against children is defined as “any computer-facilitated sexual exploitation of children.” In order to address this issue, the NCPA conducts training programmes to empower communities to prevent cybercrimes against children.

“Parents also have a duty to ensure that their children do not access this Dark Web. If they let them use the computer, phone or tablet, parents need to use parental settings, filters and locks which can keep them away from harmful material. It is vital to keep them away from chat rooms and the like where sexual predators lurk,” the spokesman said.

It is mainly officers who connect with the community who are trained to prevent child abuse committed through the Internet. It is done at four levels – individual, close relations, community and socio-cultural. Remedies relevant to these risk factors are discussed in this training. At the same time, necessary knowledge is provided about the existing legal framework in Sri Lanka related to these offences and the K9 Internet protection system. Awareness of assessing the addiction to the Internet is also provided. The authorities are also studying various safeguards that can be used to prevent children from accessing pornographic and other unsuitable material on the Web.

Tourist hotspots

While the NCPA is responsible for the welfare of children throughout the country, the NCPA has focused special attention on pilot projects to ensure child protection in the tourist hotspots of the coastal belt where some children are known to become vulnerable to child sex rings.

Thus the NCPA has taken measures to create a safe, child-friendly environment in the coastal belt. Thirteen programmes have been implemented in this regard. The NCPA plans to offer a counselling and psychosocial assistance programme parallel to this for any child victims. The NCPA foresees creating a healthy environment at the village level. Bulletin boards are also being used to promote awareness among the coastal population, both adults and children.

A vulnerable population

The NCPA makes sure that the safety of children living in the estates is assured. The objective is the safety and well-being of estate children and their families. Twenty-four special programmes have been planned for estate workers to make them aware about child protection. In addition, special programmes are being conducted to empower women and girls in the estates which are among the most impoverished areas in the country.

Religious institutions

Moreover, the responsibility of supervision and regulation of all religious institutions and charities that provide child protection services (child development centres) has been entrusted to the National Child Protection Authority. The supervision of children’s homes is expected to be implemented islandwide in the best interests of the children living in such homes. The supervision of child protection service agencies such as child development centres is also the responsibility of the NCPA. All relevant institutions are working together in order to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the officers serving in them and to adapt a combined supervision approach which is more efficient and productive, creating a safer institutional environment for ensuring the well-being and protection of institutionalised children. The programme will cover 379 registered children’s homes throughout the country.

Training and video recording of evidence

The NCPA also conducts an awareness programme on child protection for professionals in the legal sector and a programme on recording of video evidence for the officers of the Authority. The National Child Protection Authority records video evidence in order to act in the best interests of the child victims and a programme will be implemented to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding the manner in which such recordings should be done.

A special unit is operational within the National Child Protection Authority for video recording of evidence given by child victims of abuse. The Evidence (Special Provisions) Act No. 32 of 1999 allows for the video recording of evidence given by a child victim of abuse and its production in court. The NCPA spokesman said the video recordings as evidence have been helpful in proving instances of child abuse in courts.

The latter has also become important as almost everyone has a smartphone and it is easy to record a video of any incident. Members of the public who have any such video or photographic evidence of child exploitation and trafficking are also urged to come forward to the NCPA, again with the promise of full confidentiality.

A number of skills development programmes are conducted by the National Child Protection Authority to develop the skills of professionals in the legal sector who deal with cases involving children. The objectives are to create professionals more sensitive towards child protection by arming them with knowledge and skills in various fields related to child protection, awareness of dealing with child victims of abuse, strengthening the legal procedures relevant to such children, and creating a child-friendly environment within the overall judicial system.


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