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Children`s homes as brothels?
Tuesday, 30 October 2007 - 10:13 AM SL Time
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`The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged,` Mahathma Gandhi said, `by the way its animals are treated.` Never mind animals. What would be our ranking as a nation if we were to be judged by the way our children are treated?
Yesterday, we carried a heartrending story that a paedophile had procured a boy from a child care centre in Ratnapura. In a previous incident, a pervert was arrested in a Kandy hotel, together with a fourteen-year old boy he had taken from a children`s home on a flimsy pretext. The child was under the influence of liquor at the time of the raid by the police.
These are just only two instances of children in child care centres becoming easy prey for paedophiles. The situation must be far worse all over the country. Children have become the main attraction for some tourists who are rushing here because of the so-called golden beaches and golden boys. The number of underage beach boys in tourist resorts is believed to be on the increase.
In some cases, child molestation has been going on for years as the victims are often frightened into silence. Recently, we reported how a school principal in the North Western Province had been sexually abusing a small schoolgirl for two years until she couldn`t bear it any longer and finally confided it in her friends. The pervert was sentenced to jail, which, we reckon, is far too lenient a punishment for such a monster.
Running a children`s home for the benefit of the hapless little ones who would otherwise have been left on the road is something noble. But, sadly, there is said to be no effective mechanism to monitor and regulate children`s homes. As a result, we have monsters like Gabriel-Ernest (a werewolf in one of Saki`s stories by that name) having a field day. The situation took a turn for the worse after the tsunami disaster, which caused Sri Lanka to throw caution to the wind in a desperate effort to attract foreign assistance. In the wake of the killer waves came many undesirables masquerading as saviours of children. One of them reportedly disappeared, having been involved in the rehabilitation of a children`s home in the South, when his true identity got exposed.
It is not only sexual abuse that children are subjected to in this country. Most forms of child abuse are taken for granted and, in a way, as we have argued in these columns, animal rights are better protected than those of children. What have successive governments done about the torture that schoolchildren are subjected to in school vans, where there are reports of children being even sexually abused? Lorries transporting cattle sans adequate ventilation are caught and culprits punished. But, there is no such law to regulate school vans where children are packed `like coconuts`. The van operators also have the audacity to extract money from parents during school vacations!
It was only the other day that we pointed out a recently released CD contained a song promoting the cannabis abuse. The target of the hip-hop hippies, as we said, is the unsuspecting children. The government has embarked on an ambitious campaign to put the kibosh on narcotics addiction. But, strangely, no action is being taken against those who are enticing children into drug abuse through music. Parents who blow a gasket and spring into action when a teacher resorts to corporal punishment are silent on such matters!
Paedophiles and pornographic dealers now have an easy access to children thanks to parents who try to boost their egos by buying their children the best mobile phones in town. Pornographic movies are being circulated via mobile phones faster than on the Internet, to which access is not freely available in most parts of the country. Mobile phones, however useful they may be in the modern world, have unfortunately become something like the proverbial razor that got into a monkey`s hand. How many parents care to go through the messages that their underage children receive on their mobile phones?
Nothing is more disturbing than the case we reported yesterday. That a government-supervised child care centre handed over a child to a paedophile should jolt the government and the public into action. Is this part of a well established racket involving innocent children? There is no bigger crime than the guardians of unfortunate children taking to pimping at their expense. A thorough probe is called for into the incident, which is a damning indictment of the government, which has made a grand show of its commitment to child rights. It has created a ministry for children, hasn`t it?
The government mustn`t wait till incidents of child abuse are reported to take action. It must ensure that regular inspections are conducted on all child care centres and pimps and perverts in the garb of guardians are brought to book. Most of all, in dealing with the monsters preying on children, punishment must be serious enough to constitute an effective deterrent.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who promised to make this land safe for children, may observe sil where other criminals are concerned, but he must seriously consider legislating for child abusers to be hanged in public. Nothing else will help instil fear into the warped minds of perverts, hell bent on destroying children.
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Freelankan
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 26
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30 Oct 2007 12:52:16 GMT Report for Abuse
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This is an era where the politicians minds are set to fight terrorism and liberate people etc...where there is more personal gains by %%%
Commissions have been appointed with everyones hand tied. This is politics. Just to show the public their false concerns. Loads of money to be made with full of b......t.
That's the way forward.
What can one expect?
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ZGPan
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 10
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30 Oct 2007 14:23:27 GMT Report for Abuse
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The govt/segments of people who are very vocal about child soldiers are silent on these issues (or have been silent for decades)-this is our country only we take up issues when it suits us best.
This is not the only incident, there have been many before and many more that have gone unreported and will continue to go unreported...
Weather a child is used for soldiering or sex, the exploitation is the same that needs punishing the perpetrators. Therefore, can we as a society take responsibility and hold the protagonists accountable |
AnuD
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31 Oct 2007 01:04:07 GMT Report for Abuse
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Now, MPs are not responsible for their electorates.
Only the voters are responsible for electing them.
So, they democracy is screwed up.
How do we say that a particular MP is their to represent the people.
So, they can escape pointing the finger at the other person or the politician.
Or other wise, People should start accusing the group of politician representing the area. |
AnuD
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31 Oct 2007 01:05:24 GMT Report for Abuse
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| This is not like Sri Lanka. that is all I understand. |
p007
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 370
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31 Oct 2007 04:00:09 GMT Report for Abuse
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Obviously, most, if not all, of these children must be Sinhala-Buddhists just like the 120,000 teenage pregnancies referred to in another thread. These are very serious social problems that must receive the urgent attention of not only those in authority but the civil society as well.
The entire Sinhala-Buddhist community, the clergy, polity and others who are genuinely serious about the community should focus its attention on grave and serious problems like these instead of concentrating their energy on settling the Sinhala-Buddhists of the South in the East by forcibly moving out the minorities there in their misconceived idea of 'Sinhala-Buddhising' the East.
Will the genuine Sinhala-Buddhists take note and take charge of their community by throwing out the current racist-pseudo Buddhists of the JHU type from directing the destiny of the larger Buddhist community? |
Revy
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Joined: Aug 2006
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31 Oct 2007 04:03:09 GMT Report for Abuse
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Now, MPs are not responsible for their electorates.
Only the voters are responsible for electing them.
So, they democracy is screwed up.
How do we say that a particular MP is their to represent the people.
So, they can escape pointing the finger at the other person or the politician.
Or other wise, People should start accusing the group of politician representing the area.
AnuD truly amazing, seems you are gaining enlightenment slowly but surely, soon enough you too will want to seperate from this state if your thinking clears up some more.
Best solution is for the whole, island to seperate from parlaiment in Colombo, then we can all live in peace :):)
Edited By - Revy - 31 Oct 2007 04:03:33 GMT |
raigamakolla
Joined: Dec 2006
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31 Oct 2007 04:25:51 GMT Report for Abuse
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This only the tip of the iceberg.
There are over 800,000 child labour in Slanka. No government has done anything to address that issue, the least MR government.
In fact, most of children employed by various sectors including households in Colombo (as maids/servant boys) are sexually assaulted and abused.
This situation is not likely to change in view of huge economic benefits derived from exporting young women as maids to slave in the arab world. Government is actively promoting slavery in and out of slanka.
What a shame for a country which boast about over 2500 years of history!
When the economy fails in other sectors, the government is looking to export more flesh and blood to earn forex and use that money to the welfare of families of politicians.
For example, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, who hails from Dabulla, has sent two of this daughters to study in the UK. At the rate of SLR250 for a UK pound, where does he get that kind of money??? to send his children to UK unless he is stealing from government. He did not and has no business to best of my knowledge.
No wonder, Slanka is ranking very low in the corruption index.
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Vishnu
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31 Oct 2007 06:12:39 GMT Report for Abuse
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Raigamakolla,
I can understand how ministers send their siblings to study overseas. Any idea how, Prabakaran sent his son and daughter there?
On a seperate note, don't you all lament (especially those from Colombo) it is hard to find a servant Kella or Kolla these days? |
Ramz
Joined: Jul 2007
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31 Oct 2007 07:57:41 GMT Report for Abuse
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Our political system shall bear the responisbility and they so-called Desha Premi patriates should fight in the parliment in pass a law protecting young poor children..
all involved in such type of incidents should be arrested and (in public) they should be shot in their $$$$.. |
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