How an underaged boy was exploited

By Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

Hettiarchige Tharindu Sanjeewa had become a destitute by the time he turned five when his father abandoned their family for unknown reasons. The father was the breadwinner of the family and his sudden departure affected the whole family.

The family was on the brink of starvation following the separation and their mother found it difficult to eke out a living and feed her two young children as she did not have a job or any income. What she earned by way of doing odd jobs was not sufficient to keep her family afloat.

There were days when the family had to undergo starvation. This had an impact on the boy's school career. As a result the boy had to give up schooling at a relatively early age due to impoverishment. He attended a local school up to the third grade. His mother couldn't afford to send him to school any longer. The situation forced him to find an odd job to support his mother and the elder sister to overcome starvation. Tharindu Sanjeewa was only 13-years-old when he found a job in a coconut mill at Bandirippuwa.

It was on June 30, 2010 when the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) of the Marawila government hospital Dr. Ruwan Lansakara informed the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) that an underaged boy had been admitted to the Marawila hospital with an injury following an accident.

The JMO said that the boy had been employed at a coir mill and his right hand was severely injured when it got entangled in the coir machine. On hearing the news, the National Child Protection Authority's (NCPA) Officer in Charge (OIC), Chief Inspector of Police (CI) Wijesena despatched Police Inspector, Bandujeewa Bopitigoda and a team of police officers to investigate the incident and submit a report to courts.

Investigation

Inspector Bopitigoda with the police party visited the Marawila government hospital and met the JMO Dr. Ruwan Lansakara who briefed them of what had taken place. He told them that patient Tharindu's right hand below the wrist had been smashed as a result of the accident. Inspector Bopitigoda and his party proceeded to Nathhandiya at Marawila where Tharindu Sanjeewa was residing with his mother. They were living in a cramped up room.

When the police entered their bedroom Tharindu was fast asleep. They waited for a while till the boy awoke and spoke to him at length. The boy described with difficulty what happened to him. Inspector Bopitigoda noticed that the boy was in pain. The right hand was bandaged. There was an injury below the wrist.

Tharindu told the police that his father deserted his mother Walli-Amma and his elder sister Sandamali when he was a small child. Thereafter, his mother had lived with another man named Ramiah for some time and gave birth to two girls. The family then moved into a tile factory named Willie at Waikal. After some time Ramiah deserted his family and went elsewhere to live.

Following the desertion, his mother left the Willie Tile factory and found employment in another tile factory. During this time his underaged sister Iresha Sandamalie (15) eloped with a young man named Jude Roshantha and lived with him at Bandirippuwa. Tharindu's plight deteriorated as there was no one to look after him. His mother was now employed elsewhere.

As days passed Jude Roshantha called over at their home and invited him to join the coir mill where he was employed. The coir mill was owned by a person named Indika at Bandirippuwa.

Avoid starvation

Tharindu told NCPA officers that he was compelled to accept the offer to avoid starvation and to supplement his mother's income. He went to work at Indika's coir mill, in January and worked until he met with an accident last June. He resided at his sister's home while he worked at Indika's coir mill.

On June 26, Tharindu met with an accident when his right hand got entangled in the coir machine. He was taken to the Marawila hospital in Indika's vehicle. Tharindu said that he was paid Rs 500 for his work at the coir mill.

His mother Athukoralage Walli Amma told NCPA officers that she was married to Hettiarchchige Jayaratne who was the father of Irosha Sandamali and Tharindu Sanjeewa.

After her husband deserted her she had lived with Ramiah and gave birth to two daughters Thiruni Kauwia and Thilini Wasana. Ramiah too deserted her following the birth of the two daughters. She then lived the life of a destitute as expenses were overwhelming. The sorrow, pain and trauma were equally bad when she couldn't fend for her new born children, she told them.

The NCPA officers then visited the coir mill at Bandirippuwa and met its proprietor Mirrisege Indika Upashantha Fernando of Lunuwila. He told them that he had fixed a coir machine at his compound at Palugaswatte in Bandirippuwa and entrusted the business to Jude Roshantha who in turn had employed his brother-in-law Tharindu.

He told the NCPA officers that he was not aware of Tharindu's age and could not be held responsible for employing an underage person. However, the NCPA officers explained the offence to Indika Fernando and took him into custody for employing an under-aged person. The two suspects Indika Fernando and Jude Roshantha were produced in court and remanded until July 27, for investigations to be completed. The court ordered the two young daughters of Walli Amma aged five and two to be sent to the Santhana Child Home at Waikal until a report was called from the Probation officer of the area. A report compiled by the UNICEF and the ILO in collaboration with the government stated that most children work as domestic servants in households. The study indicates that around 40,000 children between 10 and 14 are being used for work. It was also revealed that many children who are taken away from homes are used for sexual exploitation in the South West coastal areas which are popular with tourists.

In the North Central Province in Vavuniya, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa more girls were involved in commercial sex networks. The report states that children who are trafficked for child labour are mainly from poor families. According to a World Bank report 22 percent of the population in Sri Lanka live in poverty and many women from poor rural families travel to cities in search of work and migrate for employment to other countries.

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Hotline for child abuse

First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa last week commissioned a hotline at the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) for child abuse cases. The hot- line 1929 will be open 24 hours daily so that child abuse cases could be reported to the NCPA directly for immediate action.

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Blossoms at His feet Gauthami the Prajapathi

by Ananda LECAMWASAM

Our Lord sat waiting

He knew she will come with her retinue of exalted Bhikkhunis.

Five-hundred Arahath Theris, making the last journey.

The whole world knew and trembled at her resolve.

She was coming to set her eyes upon the majestic figure

For the last time. An august assembly awaited.

The Arahaths Sariyuth, Mugalan, Rahula, Nanda and Ananda and many others.

So many are seen not many times. In homage they awaited her arrival.

A sea of flame round the Master, A sea of robes yellow,

The swirling sea within stilled forever.

All round was gold, gold that shone in purity.

The lustre spreading to heavens and hells.

The world stood still.

She came and lay down prostrate at His feet;

Happiness more than what a mortal mother would ever feel,

Pulsated within her.

"Oh Master I took you to my breasts,

When your mother my fair sister left her treasure behind;

For me to succour; having passed in to Thavathisa.

Milk in my breasts, filled and overflowed.

My love for you pierced to the very marrow of my bones.

My own Nanda and Sundari, ladies of the court took care,

I didn't leave your side."