Stop Child Cruelty Trust (SCC) together with Child Protection Alliance (CPA) recommenced the Lama Surakum Yathra (Child Protection Tour) in celebration of Children’s Day to spread love to the people and children of the Northern Province.
The intensive public awareness campaign began in Colombo Fort and reached Jaffna on October 1 and it will arrive in Kandy on October 15, Batticaloa on October 29 and Anuradhapura on November 12.
The grand finale of the Yathra is scheduled for November 18, 2022, with a walk-in support of #NOguti and Sri Lanka’s first Children’s Convention on November 18 to celebrate Universal Children’s Day at the Open-Air Theatre at Vihara Maha Devi Park, Colombo. Speaking about the initiative, the Founder Chairperson of SCC, Dr. Tush Wickramanayaka said, “Although many protested on the streets insisting upon a better country for our children, they were silent about raising better, unwounded children for our country. Yathra is a journey of love to protect and promote children’s rights. In every key city, there will be a day of activities for children, focused on empowering them as rights holders and equal citizens, distributing essential educational material and sanitary pads for children with economic hardships and feeding the hungry via a community kitchen.”
The #NOhit zone school program launched in February 2022 was interrupted by the Aragalaya. “The violent oppression perpetrated by the authorities is a poignant reminder that ending corporal punishment against children is a pressing need towards the dawn of a new era without violence and establish the just and peaceful country we envisage. We hope to introduce a beacon school in every province we visit on Yathra that promotes happier and safer education”, Dr. Wickramanayaka said. Former Commissioner of Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and former Dean Law and Professor, University of Technology Jamaica Pof. Prathiba Mahanamahewa said:
“A study on school disciplinary methods conducted by the National Child Protection Authority in 2017 revealed that 80 percent of students reported having experienced corporal punishment in the past term.
Cases of cruelty reported to the NCPA have tripled in the past decade. The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka passed a historic verdict in February 2021 banning corporal punishment of children unequivocally, and it is critically urgent that the Government of Sri Lanka implements these directives to protect our children.”
Actor and Child Protection Ambassador Saranga Disasekara said, “Our schools are supposed to be a safe space where children and educators can adopt pro-social behaviour that can prevent violence within the school and in the community.
However, if teachers and primary education providers are not aware of alternative punishment methods, the problem will remain and generation upon generation will be conditioned to normalise this heinous crime. I am happy to be part of the SCC’s #NOguti campaign that aims to change this behaviour.”
Those interested in getting involved in the cause can visit the website at www.stopchildcruelty.com and the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stopchildcruelty or email [email protected].