Of course, it is not really HOW you teach a child. It is WHAT you teach a child. HOW you teach a child follows after WHAT you teach a child. If we want to end corporal punishment in schools, teachers need to understand this, and they should understand the difference and that there is a difference. At a very early age, if you can sit your child down and talk to him/her that will be the first step in instilling morals, values and appropriate behaviour patterns. It must be done in a non aggressive way, and it must be done gently. As a parent you are their first role models. The same goes for teachers. What you say and do will have an impact on children in their early stages of growth. It is a crucial stage in the development of the child. You need to raise a child intelligently, this includes both parents and teachers.
No religion teaches us that a child is born evil. According to men and women of faith, God certainly would not create something evil. Man does that. We know that when a child gets hurt, the potential for that child to be an offender is always there. The vicious cycle. It is that cycle that we need to break. That is the answer.
At a media conference titled ‘Child Abuse –Nation’s Unbearable Burden’ held at the Sri Lankan Press Institute on November 20, (Universal Children’s Day) it was revealed to the Daily News that Stop Child Cruelty Trust (SCC) together with the Child Protection Alliance (CPA), have worked towards sustainable and progressive changes in ending violence against children with the launch of the National ‘Happier and Safer Education – Secure Schools Programme’, which has received approval from education authorities, National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) and UNICEF.
What is admirable about the work that they do is that they walk the talk. The SSC and CPA have been very active this year. One highlight of their year has been the Parliament Petition and Supreme Court Directive. They are determined to ensure the full implementation of the Supreme Court’s directive of February 2021, banning corporal punishment in all schools. In pursuit of this mission, they presented a petition to Parliament, urging legislators to enforce this vital ruling.
This is also the third consecutive year of the ‘Child Protection Mega Month’, another remarkable first from SCC, dedicating not just one day, but two solid months from October 1 to November 30, towards sustainable progress on child welfare.
We are told that this campaign will continue into 2024 with a historic book launch called ‘Chronicles of Melancholy’, a collection of real life stories of survivors of child abuse written in Sinhala, Tamil and English and an Art competition for the cover of the book. The book gives a voice to the voiceless and empowers many in similar painful circumstances. The CPA has received nearly 1,000 art entries and the winners will be announced soon. Negotiations are underway for the book to be translated into one/two UN recognized regional languages making it a world’s first.
Dr. Tush Wickramanayaka is a veteran when it comes to the field of Children’s Rights. She is the Founder Chairperson of SCC and Co-convener of CPA. “This year has been transformative for us. We’ve not only set benchmarks, but also achieved several ‘firsts’ in the realm of child protection. We believe in the potential of Sri Lanka’s children and are committed to ensuring that their rights and safety are upheld. With the launch of the ‘Secure Schools Programme’, we intend to provide national level training to strengthen teacher-student relationships, improve psycho-social well-being and non-violent conflict resolution via positive discipline strategies to end physical, mental and verbal punishments within schools in Sri Lanka,” she said.
Today there is a growing consensus that among educators, psychologists and members of the public that teachers can effectively manage classrooms and nurture students’ knowledge skills and abilities without resorting to physical punishments. The programme is focused on working cohesively with students, parents and teachers to establish ‘no hit zones’ by following the UN recognized INPSIRE module to end violence, conduct workshops to educate parents on improving communication with children, empowering students on sexuality education, on-line safety, child rights, global citizenship and prevention of substance abuse.
Dr. Tush pointed out that we live in an age where Sri Lanka is facing many economic and political problems, but said that we cannot and must not forget our children. Dr. Tush and other activists like her have been carrying on a relentless battle/campaign for the welfare of our children. Today we have a 25 percent population under the age of 18. Child abuse is increasing at an alarming rate. According to Sri Lanka’s Police reports it has become the second or third highest wave crime. Dr. Tush added that we need to do something constructive to alleviate this problem. “It has become an unbearable strain on the country to manage this situation. It affects the health of a nation and has become a strain on the health services,” she added.
The problems children face are not only limited to physical abuse and sexual abuse. Child labour is another problem that needs to be dealt with. Children need to be protected from exploitation. “As we know there are various forms of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Physical abuse is the most common form of abuse in Sri Lanka and in the world. In the last ten years it has tripled. It is here that education enters the equation. It is through education that we can transform a child into a global citizen. A citizen of the world. A citizen of the 21st Century. Education is the foundation,” pointed out Dr. Tush.
Education is not only for children. Before being given the task of teaching a child, the teachers need to be trained. A knowledge of child psychology is paramount. Because most of these teachers themselves mistakenly believe that beating a child is actually an act of love! Teachers need to be empowered through education and training, because frankly children are unsafe in this day and age. Society needs to take full responsibility.
“Today we live in a world that is fast changing. With the advent of the Internet, now children are exposed to a variety of temptations and experiences. These temptations bring with them threats and dangers. We have found that some teachers are at sea when it comes to problems that arise when it comes to love affairs between teenagers, teenage anti-social behaviour and drugs. They do not know how to tackle these problems. So we want to hold some workshops with the participation of parents.”
“Communication between parents and children is crucial if we want to end child abuse. The child should not be ashamed or afraid to talk with their parents. A parent and a child should be able to talk openly about what may have taken place at school and or at any social gathering,” said Actor and Brand Ambassador of #NOguti, Saranga Dissasekara.
Dissasekara’s comments must be considered seriously. In the life of a child his/her parents are the two most powerful people. The child’s guardians. Anything can happen at school and anything can happen at a social gathering.
What is #NOguti? Since SCC spearheaded the formation of CPA two years ago, they have achieved several groundbreaking milestones including the launch of the #NOguti campaign to end corporal punishment in schools, which was launched in February 2022.
Advancing the cause of child protection in Sri Lanka and in celebration of Universal Children’s Day on November 20, they have established the ‘Secure Schools Programme’ in 39 schools in the Southern Province. Sri Sumangala College, Hikkaduwa will engage in the full one -and –a- half year programme as the beacon school of the Southern Province. They are doing this because someone has to do it. Someone has to care. We simply cannot be passive. We cannot delay. This is the stance Dr. Tush has always taken- Action and not simply words.
Sri Lanka Medical Association’s President Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, is highly concerned about the unprecedented strain on health services during this current economic crisis. He feels that all efforts should be focused on preventing occurrences of the alarming rise of physical and sexual abuse of children by educating teachers on positive discipline techniques and providing compulsory sexual health education to children. Dr. Ariyaratne’s worries are not unfounded. In fact, in statistics shared by Dr. Tush Wickramanayaka, Sri Lanka has sadly seen the death of 16 innocent children resulting from physical/sexual abuse within 24 months. The two organisations have acknowledged this crisis and have intensified their efforts to protect the nation’s children. They understand the urgency when it comes to the safety of our children.
“It is certainly a very distressing situation. The true measure or quality of any society can be seen in how it treats its children. From January 1, 2023 to October 31, more than 8,000 children have been severely abused. These are only the reported statistics. Eighty percent of these children required psychiatric care. These statistics are shocking. For the last three years the healthcare system of Sri Lanka has faced many challenges – Covid-19 and the economic crisis. Right now there is a shortage of medicine and staff,” added Dr. Ariyaratne.
Here the family also suffers. When it comes to the treatment, it is a combined effort by experts of different fields in medicine. It is a long process. These are the disastrous consequences of child abuse. This is a huge challenge to everyone involved. Remember when girls are sexually abused, it results in teenage pregnancies which creates other complications. This is why it is so important to protect our children. A girl can get pregnant due to other causes in addition to being sexually abused. She might have an affair (pre-marital) with her boyfriend, the two get careless and pregnancy results. This is why sex education is so important.
Another statistic revealed at the Press Conference was that there is a backlog of over 40,000 complaints of child abuse revealed in a recent report by the Auditor General. Justice delayed is justice denied. Attorney- at-Law and Human Rights Activist, Radika Gunaratne’s comments were included in the press release: “The system requires a fast forward re-set button to ensure that all relevant institutions responsible for child protection work cohesively to expedite the cases and provide relief to victims, some of whom have been suffering for years.”
Ishara Jayawardane