‘Monsters on the Loose’ out now
Sri Lanka is facing a nationwide crisis of child abuse. In order to fight for our children together and put these monsters behind bars, renowned local musicians came together to create a song dedicated to victims of child abuse. The song, Monsters on the Loose, was composed by Rukshan Perera and sung by Melanie Bibile, Aanjanie Jayasuriya, and Roshie Wickramaratne.
Brunch had a chat with Rukshan Perera on the creation of the song. Here's what he had to say.
What is your opinion on child abuse in Sri Lanka? Do you think we are doing enough to eradicate it?
No, we are not doing enough to eradicate child abuse, and it is getting worse by the day. Every week, you hear cases of child abuse in several forms – physical, sexual, rape, etc. We all need to do everything we can to eradicate this menace.
There is no easy answer to eradicate child abuse, but at a minimum we need to do the following:
Brunch had a chat with Rukshan Perera on the creation of the song. Here's what he had to say.
What is your opinion on child abuse in Sri Lanka? Do you think we are doing enough to eradicate it?
No, we are not doing enough to eradicate child abuse, and it is getting worse by the day. Every week, you hear cases of child abuse in several forms – physical, sexual, rape, etc. We all need to do everything we can to eradicate this menace.
There is no easy answer to eradicate child abuse, but at a minimum we need to do the following:
- Educate the parents – All parents need to stop punishing their children physically. Unlike a generation ago, today, there are many tools to teach the child without physically abusing the child, and all the parents need to learn these tools. The Government, NGOs, and service organisations can play a vital role in educating the parents. Unfortunately, today, parents use their children for sex to earn a living. Again, these parents need to be taught the importance of a child’s life and understand the severe punishment for such child abuse.
- Educate the children – Children need to be educated to understand right from wrong and where to draw the line with adults, including parents. They need to be empowered to defend themselves from all forms of abuse. Children in the US and other western countries report their own parents against abuse and that’s exactly what we need in Sri Lanka. We need such support and prevention programmes to empower the child.
- Laws on child abuse – The Government not only needs to ensure the laws are in place, but also needs to ensure they apply the laws to punish the perpetrators quickly. Unfortunately, in Sri Lanka, people get away with murder if they have the “proper” contacts.