TALKING POINT II: 100,000 child prostitutes in Sri Lanka?
 

Dushy Ranetunge in London

A known LTTE human rights front group is the Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR). Diedre McConnel Kirubakaran who works for the TCHR used to work out of Eelam House in London a few years ago. This organization attempts to counter LTTE recruitment of child soldiers by stating that Sri Lanka has child sex workers.

Recently it claimed to have handed a "report" to the Sri Lankan President stating that Sri Lanka has over 100,000 sex workers and child laborers and this was publicized as a front page news item (2nd of April 2006) by a Sunday newspaper that frequently interviews Anton Balasingham. The news item said "Childcare workers in Sri Lanka estimate that between 100,000 and 120,000 children are being prostituted".

No other group that works in the social services field in Sri Lanka have confirmed such outrageous claims made deliberately with ulterior motives. TCHR, an LTTE front does not care for children or sex workers.

Its motive is to counter the issue of LTTE child soldiers with fictitious allegations, and it is outrageous that a Sri Lankan publication offers a platform to a terrorist front organization on its front page - something that would never happen in Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom or India. Over to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC)?