Regular monitoring, a must for children’s homes -NCPA Chairperson

By Thulasi MUTTULINGAM

Anoma Dissanayake, Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) Pic: Vipula Amerasinghe

Due to the conflict, economic deprivation and mental or physical abuse at home, thousands of children find themselves in many children’s homes across the country. A rather grim picture is arising across the country, causing authorities to take urgent remedial action.

“Are the people running these homes with the real intention of helping children? I have my doubts,” says Ms. Anoma Dissanayake, Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA). “Children in these homes should have the same kind of care and facilities as a child brought up under the care of his parents enjoys himself, she said.

She said children’s homes are opened everywhere by persons of dubious character, citing the plight of many orphaned and destitute children in the country.

There is no transparency whether they are registered with the Department of Probation and Childcare Services and how they function.

A few weeks ago a children’s home 2 kms away from the NCPA office was brought to her notice; the home had babies in the range of 4-6 months being looked after without adequate facilities. It was the policy of that home not to give children for adoption. The babies when they matured were transferred to another home of the same organisation which too did not have enough facilities.

“Even though good public schools are available near by, the children are sent to a school within the premises. Exploiting children for many seem to be the cause for these abuses,” she said.

The NCPA Chairperson has ordered monitoring children’s homes across the country. “We have informed all the provincial commissioners that legal action would be taken against all ill-managed homes.

All district coordinators have been instructed to monitor each children’s home in the company of a Public Health Inspector, psychiatrist, Medical Officer of Health and an educationist.

Our investigations in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa have revealed instances such as toilets not functioning, filthy kitchens, stray dogs with wounds and sores in the premises and children engaged in manual labour, such as cooking.”

She said the inmates were obviously neglected. They were infested with lice, improperly dressed and had no books to take to school - if they were schooled at all. As such, their scholamates shunned them, which lead to depression and other social problems for them.

As a result of these investigations a children’s home at Polonnaruwa was closed down. According to Chairperson Dissanayake, a retired couple was running the home.

“They received funds from both the government and donors to run the home. They were too old to run the home and had no helpers to cook, clean or wash and take care of 16 very young children between the ages of 5 - 7 years.

None of the children was sent to school and four children under 14 were working as cook. They were hardly big enough to lift or handle the huge pots being used in the kitchen to cook for so many people!”

Meanwhile, another home was closed down recently in Ratnapura when Childcare Minister of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council G.M. Karunapala, came across children not attending school but employed instead in the cutting of leaves to feed goats being kept by the home, for which they had to ford back and forth over a waterway, which was dangerous. According to the Provincial Commissioner of Probation and Childcare Services, Sabaragamuwa, Dilini Dharmadasa, the home was being run by a monk with funds from Japan, Germany and France. He had apparently been showcasing the children to obtain funds. He had even been gifted with an ambulance and a bus.

There were 10 children in all, at the time of the raid, and only two of whom attended school. The meals provided were of a very poor quality and the teenage boys had been illegally engaged as cooks, guards etc.

The monk is said to be an alcoholic and there are allegations of sexual abuse against him being investigated.

National Commissioner of Probation and Childcare Services, D.M.S. Abayagunawardana, said he would soon implement an independent monitoring system to grade the homes on the basis of facilities and care provided and take action to close down the ill equipped homes.

This was a sequel to a directive by President Mahinda Rajapaksa that committees should be formed at village level near all children’s homes to have them monitored and ensured the wellbeing of security of its inmates.

Not all homes are so abusive to children. According to NCPA, Chairperson Dissananyake, a hostel for deprived children run by some mothers in Polonnaruwa and a home run by a monk in Anuradhapura were of high standard. So also there is a children’s home at Panadura for which a large house and an acre of land was donated by a family who also acts as the trustees of the home.

The NCPA is looking for volunteers to deal with the ever increasing volume of complaints against children’s homes and provide counselling for inmates. Those with counselling experience and/or a psychological background could volunteer themselves to provide their services to help the deprived children.