brand logo

NCPA yet to acknowledge letter on child abuse complaint 

28 Mar 2022

 
  • SCC/CPA cite video of school boy being threatened with assault by teacher 
  • Also raise concerns over non-implementation of SC decision against corporal punishment
  BY Dinitha Rathnayake  A letter sent by the Stop Child Cruelty Trust (SCC) and the Child Protection Alliance (CPA) related to an incident where a video of a school child being mentally abused was circulating on social media, regarding which a complaint was made (number CC/22/03/585) to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) on 22 March 2022, has not received any acknowledgment yet from the NCPA, the SCC and the CPA alleged. The video shows a school boy talking to his teacher, asking the teacher not to punish his friend but to punish him instead, following a fight the two friends had had. Speaking to The Morning, SCC Chairperson and CPA Co-Convenor Dr. Tush Wickramanayaka claimed that the video, which is of an attempt to assault a school child, has caught public attention. In the said letter, she further claimed that videotaping a school boy in uniform, sharing such on social media without obtaining approval of the legal guardians, and a teacher acting in a threatening manner are in violation of circular number 12/2016 of the Education Ministry and elsewhere, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), in the case of the latter, the provisions on the disciplining of children, and are therefore, unethical. The letter also urged the NCPA to remove the video from social media. Dr. Wickramanayaka noted that she is disappointed about the efficiency of the NCPA in taking action against violence against children as the video is still circulating on social media. The SCC and the CPA launched the #NOguti National Campaign to End Violence against Children recently. Wickramanayaka claimed: “Corporal punishment is a form of abuse that is rarely discussed within the Sri Lankan community. Thirty years ago, Sri Lanka ratified the UNCRC, but there seems to be no palpable progress. Ten children were physically and sexually abused and murdered during the past 16 months and there has been no meaningful action taken by the relevant authorities to resolve the crisis.”  A petition urging to implement the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) in a fundamental rights (FR) case against administering corporal punishment (SC/FR/97/2017) started when 12 children were murdered within 18 months, and two within the last five weeks. “We feel that there is no protection for our lives every time we hear these incidents. We read in the newspapers and see on television (TV) daily about how our friends are subjected to various forms of abuse. Child protection is a national crisis in Sri Lanka. Even after many children have been murdered, not a single person with responsibility has done anything meaningful to resolve the crisis. Although Sri Lanka is the only South Asian country committed to Sustainable Development Goal 16.2-related indicators on ending violence against children, it is considered as a country that is the least safe for children in the world. We appeal to make child protection the heart of the national security agenda of the 4.2 million children of this country. We suggest that you make child welfare the main responsibility of every public representative as they do in cultured countries globally. We would like to see you represent our children, the true beneficiaries of the future,” she further claimed.  Meanwhile, speaking to The Morning, NCPA Chairman and University of Sri Jayewardenepura Senior Lecturer in Criminology Udayakumara Amarasinghe said that he had informed the management of a TV channel which had invited the said child for a popular TV programme on 27 March, regarding the matter, and was able to stop telecasting it. “This child is a victim and a witness and cannot therefore be exposed by the media. So I have informed in writing and verbally to not telecast this programme. Secondly, this video comes under child cruelty and it was investigated by our officers and they found details on the said child. Also, a special investigation is being carried out by the Police. Meanwhile, the cyber surveillance division’s law enforcement director and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission are also informed to investigate the video which is circulating on social media.”  Amarasinghe noted that the NCPA is considering a permanent solution to these matters and appointing a committee representing child psychiatrists, lawyers, and doctors to standardise the system considering child reporting standards, and impacts from child related incidents. The NCPA also urged all print and electronic media not to share such videos or post pictures and not to spread them on social media as it would deviate from the criminal justice process. The NCPA is also in the process of implementing the decision of the SC against corporal punishment, according to Amarasinghe.


More News..