Download PDF - Violence Against Children - East Asia and the ...

Sri Lanka
leader, a boy of 16, has set up a food stand,
which is the only “fast food” on offer. He sells
fried cassava and makes a small profit. He
does not serve men who are drunk.
The Children’s Society operation includes a
discussion on values, which is significant given
that Sri Lanka has one of the world’s highest
suicide and alcoholism rates. This aspect
could be strengthened through using a
curriculum of areas the club could cover over
a 12-month period, drawing upon a child
rights programming framework; this would
give opportunity for monitoring on the four
clusters of child rights. Other useful
programming areas may include life skill
training; including developing children’s
awareness of ways to protect themselves
from domestic violence or recruitment into
armed conflict.
The Children’s Societies have held “unity
camps” where children from three different
clubs come together for a day of activity,
food and sharing. These have been popular
with the children who want to meet other
children and discuss common issues.
Traditional and religious stories that support
the theme of unity are used.
The Children’s Societies are represented
through a federation, one activity of which is
assisting children with access to education
through scholarships. The societies are also
to be involved in activities that assist in ADP
work, such as writing up the annual child
report folders for sponsored children. The
children’s federation comments on economic
strategies for the area and what community
groups plan to do to increase economic
activity. This includes discussions on cash
crops, storage and production facilities, which
increase options for children in the longer
term. Other areas that children’s and youth
societies may be supported in researching
include the high rate of youth suicide and the
effect of domestic violence on children.
Youth participation in action:
two thirds of Children’s Society members are girls.
Photo: Laurence Gray
Other useful models
• Child-led research has assisted previously
ignored issues to emerge. An example is
access to medicines: children in one World
Vision-assisted community conducted a
survey on the supply of medicines to
pharmacies where the supply was
inadequate. This was then presented to
local authorities and procedures were
adopted to improve access to medicines.
• Advocating to courts on children’s issues
has led to change. One example was in
Jaffna where greater awareness on child
rights through Save the Children’s efforts
led magistrates to find community-based
alternatives to putting unaccompanied
children in institutions. World Vision may
have an opportunity to link with such a
scheme through the National Child
Protection Authority, which is targeting
lawyers, the medical profession and the
judiciary to be briefed on child rights.
• Monitoring activities of the Government,
such as issuing birth certificates, can give
children a voice. Research in partnership
with children has led Save the Children to
dialogue with the Government and to a
partnership with PLAN International. This
focus has led to a government review of
practice and changes to ease the process of
obtaining birth certificates for children.
71