COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office

SRI LANKA 7 MARCH 2012
21.14 The UN Consideration of reports submitted by states parties under article 44 of the
convention, Concluding Observations: Sri Lanka 408 , dated 1 October 2010 observed
that:
―The Committee expresses serious concern that insufficient efforts have been made by
the State party to investigate the death of hundreds of children during the five last
months of the conflict as a result notably of alleged shelling and aerial bombardments of
civilians, hospitals, schools and humanitarian operations and deliberate deprivation of
food, medical care and humanitarian assistance. The Committee is also concerned that
high levels of malnutrition and poverty undermine the right to survival and development
of many children in the State party, especially in the conflict affected and disadvantaged
areas.‖
21.15 The same source 409 added that ―The Committee, while welcoming the adoption in 2005
of the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act No.34, remains seriously concerned about
widespread and growing child abuse and neglect in the State party, including child
sexual abuse in the home and community.‖
21.16 US Department of State‘s Trafficking in Persons Report 2011 410 , released 27 June 2011
noted that:
―In 2009, the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) estimated that approximately
1,000 children were subjected to commercial sexual exploitation within Sri Lanka
although some NGOs believed the actual number was between 10,000 and 15,000.
NGOs expressed concern that the recent increase in tourism in the very poor postconflict
areas on the east coast may increase demand for child sex tourism. There are
reports of children being subjected to bonded labor and forced labor in dry-zone farming
areas on plantations, and in the fireworks and fish-drying industries. Some child
domestic workers in Colombo, generally from the Tamil tea-estate sector of the country,
are subjected to physical, sexual, and mental abuse, nonpayment of wages, and
restrictions of their movement. Some women and children were promised garment
industry work by agents and were instead forced into prostitution.‖
―Sri Lanka does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so.
―The government continued to provide some counseling and day care for abused
children through the operation of six resource centers, although it is not known how
many trafficked children, if any, were assisted in the reporting period.‖
21.17 For additional information please see the website of the National Child Protection
Authority (NCPA).
408 UN Consideration of reports submitted by states parties under article 44 of the convention, Concluding
Observations: Sri Lanka, http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/docs/co/CRC-C-LKA-CO-3-4.doc
date accessed 26 May 2011, p7
409 UN Consideration of reports submitted by states parties under article 44 of the convention, Concluding
Observations: Sri Lanka, http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/docs/co/CRC-C-LKA-CO-3-4.doc
date accessed 26 May 2011, p12&18
410 US Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report 2011, released on 27 June 2011, Sri Lanka
Section, http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2011/164233.htm date accessed 29 January 2012
160 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 3 February 2012.
Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section
to 2 March 2012.