Image courtesy of https://thesoutherncross.org.au.
Child Protection is a National Crisis in Sri Lanka. 30 years after signing the UNCRC in 1991, a child is sexually abused every 2 hours and Sri Lanka has fallen to the abysmal 10% of countries least safe for children against violence. In the past one year, FIVE children were physically and sexually abused to death in our paradise island officially at peace. Yet, nothing progressive has been achieved and not a single official twitched to protect 5.2 million children.
Stop Child Cruelty Trust (SCC) has initiated the formation of Sri Lanka’s FIRST ‘Child Protection Alliance’ of credible organizations passionately committed to protect and promote the rights of children. The Alliance firmly believes that working cohesively
towards focused targets will help achieve greater success, especially in the advocacy work with relevant State institutions.
During the inaugural meeting on 19th September 2021, the following key areas of concern were highlighted: Raising public awareness, Physical abuse/violence/corporal punishment, Judicial reforms, Sexual abuse/education and Mental abuse/mental
health of children.
The Alliance’s first target is to request The Parliament to pass a bill on implementing judicial reforms on ending violence against children and implement the Supreme Court directive of February 2021 to unequivocally prohibit corporal punishment in Sri
Lanka.
Following are the founder members of rapidly expanding Sri Lanka’s FIRST Child Protection Alliance:
1. Stop Child Cruelty Trust – (SCC)
2. Asia Pacific Management Institute – (APMI)
3. Avanka Lanka Foundation
4. Bakamoono.lk
5. Hashtag Generation – (#GENERATION)
6. iProbono
7. Meraki Sri Lanka
8. Promoters for equal participation in leadership – (ProFEL)
9. Right to Life Human Rights Centre
10. Saubhagya Foundation
11. Schools 4.0 Lanka
12. Sri Lanka Unites
13. United Human Rights Organization – (UHRO)
14. Voice against Child Abuse – (VACA)
15. Women for Sustainable Development
16. Youth Advocacy Network Sri Lanka – (YANSL)
17. Youth for Tomorrow