Sri Lanka has a long history with state-run child welfare structures. We often hear of them when something gruesome has come to light. For decades, many children found abandoned or without adequate parental care are entrusted into the care of the state.

In 2019, a report by the Department of Census and Statistics revealed that over 10,000 children live in children’s homes in Sri Lanka, the majority are adolescent girls. Over 80% of these children have a parent or family member alive. Earlier this year, Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj, stated that there are 379 childcare centres operating across Sri Lanka, of which 47 are state-owned. The minister highlighted that all other childcare centres are maintained with the aid and assistance provided by the non-governmental organizations and the private sector. However, at the time (February) it was also revealed that there is no system to audit whether the children receive the amount of approximately Rs. 30,000 allocated for each child staying in childcare centres. As such, there is a significant gap in understanding the institutional challenges or the compliance of mandatory duties by such institutions in the care of children entrusted to them.

The recent economic crisis has not only exacerbated some of the child protection and child welfare-related issues in Sri Lanka. The crisis has also highlighted some of the gaps in the national child protection and welfare system. There has been a call for the systems which are in place to be reformed. The need to bring the existing legislation governing the system related to child welfare and protection in line with international standards, has also been stressed.

According to UNICEF, the institutions that govern the child protection system in Sri Lanka – the National Child Protection Authority, the Department of Probation and Child Care Services, the National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development, and the Bureau for the Prevention of Abuse of Children and Women under the Police – do not have a mechanism to come together regularly to discuss the key child protection priorities and work together more holistically to find solutions. 

“Similarly, the strong social service workforce for child protection in Sri Lanka cannot fulfil its role without improved coordination. There are many competent front-line workers, including probation officers, child rights promotion officers, NCPA officers, women’s development officers, and grama nilhadari’s, all of whom can play a crucial role in preventing violence and responding to cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. For that, they need to come together, clarify their roles and advocate for budgets that can enable them to deliver services to families,” the UN agency said. Recently, the Government has been increasingly discussing the issue and committing more resources to some of the key agencies which are involved in child welfare and protection.

There isn’t adequate discourse or understanding amongst the public about how such centres, be it state-run or private, are managed and what standards are maintained at them. What becomes of children who are cared for by such centres when they grow up is also a discussion which Sri Lanka has largely avoided having. However, it is a conversation which should be had. Turning 18 years of age and becoming an ‘adult’ by law means little if you’re not adequately equipped or supported to stand on your own feet. 

One positive step taken by the Government, announced at the Cabinet Press briefing yesterday (19) is to implement the concessional financial grant scheme to extend financial support for young women and men with the completion of 18 years who do not have a stable and safe home, and have left institutional care within the last 10 years. The facility is envisaged to be also made available to young adults who continue to remain in child development centres due to lack of a proper family background or livelihood. 

The Government had allocated Rs. 1,000 million to get the scheme going, with each young adult to be issued financial support of up to Rs. 1 million. The Government aims to focus this support to young women who remain with their care institution post-adulthood due to lack of livelihood or a suitable family structure. 

This is a start, but there is much more that can be and should be done. It is time for the public to have a robust discussion on this vulnerable group of Sri Lankans and extend our hand to them, to uplift them and enable them to face the future on their own steam.