• Dr. Tush Wickramanayaka on the Stop Child Cruelty Trust and the importance of safeguarding children

The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) received a total of 7,973 complains on or relating to child abuse between 1 January and 31 October 2023. Of this, 2,066 complaints were regarding the need for care and protection, 1,833 were of cruelty, and 1,570 of compulsory education. These statistics, published by the NCPA, shed light on the need for safeguarding and reporting mechanisms as well as awareness in the country.

In order to gain a better understanding of the abuse faced by children in Sri Lanka, The Daily Morning reached out to Dr. Tush Wickramanayaka, the founder and chairperson of the Stop Child Cruelty Trust (SCC).

Following are excerpts from the interview: 

You’ve been a leading voice against cruelty towards children in Sri Lanka. What led you to this line of work and the formation of the Stop Child Cruelty Trust?

Many leading human rights activists are those who have experienced some form of injustice or discrimination in life. I too, turned adversity to advocacy when my own 11-year-old daughter was subjected to corporal punishment and mental abuse in an international school in Sri Lanka. Whilst trying to find justice for my own child, I realised that the whole child protection mechanism from education, health, child protection agencies, Police, and judiciary was nothing but a travesty of justice.

Hence, I established SCC with the hope of working towards ending violence against the true beneficiaries of the future, our children. In 2021, SCC spearheaded the formation of Sri Lanka’s first Child Protection Alliance (CPA), a collection of credible organisations committed to protecting and promoting the rights of children.

What are the objectives of the Stop Child Cruelty Trust and the recent programmes it has carried out?

We strongly uphold the global principle as per the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) “in the best interest of the child” irrespective of whether the child is a victim or alleged perpetrator because we believe that even the latter is a victim of society. Concluding observations of UNCRC of the combined fifth and sixth periodic report of Sri Lanka in 2018 highlighted five key areas with ending violence, including corporal punishment as top priority in respect of which urgent measures must be taken. Sri Lanka is the only South Asian Pathfinding Country committed to ending violence against children, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.2.

SCC’s long-term objective is to end violence against children, especially corporal punishment, which is the most common form of child abuse both in Sri Lanka and globally; 1.8 billion children are subjected to physical abuse every year worldwide and there has been a threefold rise in cases of cruelty reported to NCPA within last decade in our paradise island.

The Pentagon Proposal, the blueprint of the strategic plan includes a total legal ban on corporal punishment is institutionalised and implemented via outstanding juvenile justice reforms; expedite the implementation of National Child Protection Policy; regulate international schools via necessary legislative and educational reforms; influence attitudinal changes via widespread educational and social reforms to reject physical abuse of children.

As a result of our indefatigable efforts, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka gave a historic verdict in February 2021 with key recommendations to abolish corporal punishment unequivocally. However, it is extremely frustrating that the Government is dragging its heels to implement those directives to date.

In 2022, we launched the #NOguti campaign and appointed a group of celebrities as Child Protection Ambassadors to raise the profile of child rights. This has opened the debate on many aspects of child welfare on various social levels. The Child Protection Tour travelled the island to Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, and Jaffna visiting many schools and communities endorsing child rights; children were the key participants in the discussions.

Stop Child Cruelty Trust was the only child rights organisation that defended the rights of 25% of the population –  5.2 million children of Sri Lanka – at the UNHRC Universal Periodic Review in 2022/2023. We were able to obtain the highest number of State parties to recommend abolishing corporal punishment unequivocally. This was our greatest achievement to date.

What are some of the most common forms of child cruelty seen in Sri Lanka?

Abuse of children is broadly categorised as physical, sexual, mental abuse, and neglect. Physical punishment, physical harassment, and cruelty are words used synonymously. To simplify, abuse is when punishment or harassment affects the physical, mental, or spiritual development of the child. Cruelty is the terminology given in the Penal Code for physical abuse. In Sri Lanka, physical abuse or cruelty is the most common form of abuse.

However, because physical punishment is normalised in society, with many people who glorify that they are doing well in life because of the severe punishment they received and believing the outdated myth “spare the rod and spoil the child”, many cases go unreported. In contrast, sexual harassment or sexual abuse is sensationalised in media and gets wider coverage in social media, too, giving a false sense that sexual abuse is more prevalent than physical abuse.

How can parents, teachers, communities, organisations, and the State prevent child cruelty? What is our individual responsibility in this matter?

Child protection is a national crisis in Sri Lanka. Research has shown that 90% of children are subjected to abuse within their own homes and by the people whom they love and trust. Next, abuse occurs in schools, in places of care and custody, in religious institutions, and public transport, etc. Parents are the primary guardians of a child. State is the ultimate guardian of the child. State includes the governments that people elect periodically, judiciary, and other State institutions and the citizenry.

Firstly, we need to pay more attention to our children; next, build communication and trusting relationships where children feel confident to come and tell you whenever they have concerns or fears; then, ensure that you are familiar with laws and regulations to protect children – Ministry of Education Circular No 12/2016 bans any form of physical punishment/mental harassment in schools. Finally, empower yourself to speak up and take action immediately when you see any child being subjected to abuse anywhere because if you pretend not to see or hear, you are an accomplice to a crime against a child. Child protection is a collective social responsibility and all adults are responsible for the deepening crisis.

Parents and carers can introduce the traffic light system to children to use whenever they feel scared or threatened: red, yellow, green – shout, run, tell. When the child does tell someone, it is imperative that the adult believes the child. Make sure the child can run and tell someone they can trust. Introduce a security circle of 3-4 persons that the child feels comfortable to confide in, not someone you insist they tell because that person can be the perpetrator without your knowledge. The persons that the child chooses can be grandparents, teachers, elderly siblings, etc.

The Government agencies must implement the rules and regulations in ensuring the circular on banning corporal punishment is adhered to and make sexuality education a compulsory subject to address the rising incidents of sexual abuse. 

What steps do you think we should take as a country to ensure the safety of children?

In 2017, NCPA conducted the Study on Child Disciplinary Methods Practised in Sri Lanka. The shocking results revealed 80% of children were subjected to at least one episode of physical punishment in one school term, 50% to physical abuse, and 72.5% to mental harassment, while 60% of teachers willingly admitted they were unaware of positive discipline techniques. There were 18 recommendations made in the study but none have been implemented to date.

In November 2023, in commemoration of Universal Children’s Day, SCC and CPA commenced the Secure Schools Programme, focused on implementing those recommendations to 39 schools in Hikkaduwa. We provide National Level Training to strengthen teacher-student relationship and improve psycho-social wellbeing and non-violent conflict resolution via positive discipline strategies to end physical and verbal punishment within schools.

One of the schools with about 1,200 students is recognised as the beacon school and will participate in the full 1.5-year programme empowering students to become responsible and useful global citizens. The key features are the implementation of safeguarding policy for the first time in a State school, transparent complaints mechanism, and empowerment of our young generations in responsible global citizenship by sustainable social welfare projects that students, parents, and community will contribute to.

What does the Stop Child Cruelty Trust have planned for 2024?

Plans are underway to publish the book Chronicles of Melancholy, a collection of real life stories of survivors of child abuse recommended for ages 12 years and above. The winning entries from the islandwide art competition titled “Me Unhurt – Stop Child Abuse” will adorn the cover of the book and inside chapters. We hope these stories will encourage other victims to recognise similar abuse and give expert advice to parents and carers. The book tour will include storytelling and performances in leading cities. The book is published in Sinhala, Tamil, and English with negotiations underway for it to be published in 1-2 UN recognised regional languages, making this another historic first.

I encourage anyone with concerns on child protection to connect via Stop Child Cruelty official website.