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Sri Lanka
• economic problems
• access to and quality of education
• a safe home environment
• the effects of armed conflict
• health
A strong push by Save the Children to
support children to advocate for themselves
was successful. It led to provincial meetings
of children and a children’s parliament where
a children’s agenda was formed and
presented to the Government. Notably, Save
the Children reviewed its own programs in
light of the children’s agenda, and plans to
improve the monitoring of CRC criteria at
community level, as the national approach is
inevitably "distant". The problem of child
abuse, for example, has been noted in the
1998 presidential taskforce reports but no
clear idea is expressed as to how this links to
monitoring in the community. Children’s
organisations have identified local issues and
advocated with local authorities.
Save the Children has observed that some
issues are sensitive in local communities
when it impacts on profit or politics. For this
reason, children need to be equipped
through training in ways to protect
themselves when advocating on an issue.
Entry points to communities
Increased child participation, and specific
education approaches, are two ways to reduce
the risks children face. There are others.
World Vision’s work with community
leaders on issues such as livelihood and credit
also ensures community recognition and
support for children to develop more of a
voice through the Children’s Societies (see
following section). Development experience
in Sri Lanka shows that a twin process of
developing community and children gives a
stronger structure for Children’s Societies to
act together across an area. Since microcredit
addresses a key issue of poverty, it
links well with child protection measures.
The challenge of linkage is a critical one, as
advocacy opportunities exist if data is shared
and appropriate
indicators set.
World Vision’s study on child abuse and
neglect 4 noted the importance of public
awareness and coalition-building that grows
from the needs in the community and does
not over-sensationalise issues.
The Sri Lankan conflict has constrained
advocacy, in that comment on its negative
impacts on child development as outlined in
the CRC could put staff and projects at risk.
For example, the LTTE communicated that
they didn’t want NGOs to comment on their
involvement of children in the armed conflict.
(At the international level, however, there has
been NGO pressure on the LTTE not to use
children as soldiers.)
At community level, nonetheless, there
have been useful examples of children
advocating locally on other issues of
protection, and promoting change.
Useful approaches to
building child participation
Examples of children working effectively to
influence families, communities and
government are clear in Sri Lanka. Promoting
children through developing people’s
organisations, establishing or strengthening
children’s associations, and introducing a child
rights curriculum in schools are examples of
child protection in practice. Lessons may be
learned from good practice in this area and
applied to other areas, influence government
policy/practice, and/or contribute to practice
in other countries. 5
4 Dorning, K, Crying Out: Children and communities speak on abuse and neglect, World Vision International, 2002 (http://www.wvi.org/imagine/can.htm)
5
Implementation Handbook for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF, 1998
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