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SL to become 'Asian Ethiopia' in six months?

29 Aug 2022

By Dinitha Rathnayake   Sri Lanka could become an “Asian Ethiopia” in the next six months Stop Child Cruelty Trust (SCC) Founder Chairperson Dr. Tush Wickramanayaka claimed. Speaking to The Morning, she said the national child crisis was only being highlighted due to the current economic crisis, noting that Sri Lankan children were at severe risk even before the Covid-19 pandemic. “I don't see any long-term plan for children in Sri Lanka and the situation they are going through. Even Government institutions are not doing anything. Sixteen children have been abused, assaulted, and killed within just 24 months in the country. Who took steps to stop this?” According to Dr. Wickramanayaka, the country has a production shortage and needs a sustainable, long-term plan by at least 1 October, World Children’s Day. Meanwhile, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said that “Sri Lankan families are skipping regular meals as staple foods become unaffordable. Children are going to bed hungry, unsure of where their next meal will come from in a country which already had South Asia’s second highest rate of severe acute malnutrition”. “Almost half of the children in Sri Lanka already require some form of emergency assistance. The education of 4.8 million children – already severely hampered by two years of interrupted learning – is at risk as school attendance continues to be jeopardised. Children’s education is being hindered by the current crisis in many ways – children no longer get the warm and nutritious meals that they used to have before the crisis, they lack basic stationery, and their teachers struggle with transportation. “More reports are already emerging of an increase in abuse, exploitation, and violence against children due to the mounting economic pressure. There are already over 10,000 children in institutional care in Sri Lanka, mainly as a result of poverty. Such institutions are not the best place for a child to grow up in, as they lack the bond of a family. Unfortunately, the current crisis is pushing more and more families to take their children to these institutions as they cannot afford to provide for them, including feeding. “If the current trend continues, hard-earned progress for children in Sri Lanka is at risk of being reversed and in some cases, erased permanently,” said UNICEF. The Global Nutrition Report also said that Sri Lanka is “on course” to meet two targets for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN), while progress has been made towards achieving the target of reducing anaemia among women of reproductive age, with 34.6% of women aged 15 to 49 years now affected.


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