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Prostitution
of protection The Sunday
Times learns that many Magistrates and Probation officers recommend
this institute that comes under the Department of Probation and
Child Care over other privately owned ones, as they feel there is
better guarantee of protection for the inmates as it is state controlled. However the
image of this safe home was shattered last week, after two escapees
told their tales of horror- alleged abuse by caretakers of the home
as well as outsiders, both male and female. One of the
victim's was a 15-year-old girl from Polonnaruwa. The Polonnaruwa
Magistrate's Court had referred her to Ranmutugala after she was
kidnapped for refusing to marry a boy from the same village. The
other victim a 14-year-old girl from Mawanella had been at Ranmuthugala
only for five months. She had reportedly had an affair with an army
deserter with whom she had eloped. Following a police complaint
by her parents, she had been produced in courts. Given her age,
the Magistrate had recommended that she be kept under probationary
care. The girls had
escaped last week during lunch hour. They had fled to the home of
the girl from Mawanella and her mother had sought the assistance
of a lawyer last Sunday and presented the case. The victims had
made allegations of both physical and sexual abuse and had been
admitted to Kegalle hospital for medical examinations, lawyers Krishantha
Herath and Asoka Jayaweera, who are representing the two girls said.
Mr. Herath said both girls had injuries on their legs and were finding
it difficult to walk. One of the
most shocking allegations has been that outsiders are given free
rein to choose their pick from the young inmates. It is also alleged
that at least once a week young boys scale over the 8 foot wall
and come in search of terrified girls who desperately try to hide
from the intruders. The Assistant Warden of the home and her husband
have been arrested in light of these allegations. Hitting out
at the lack of an effective system to crackdown on such heinous
crimes, National Child Protection Authority Chairman Harendra de
Silva said that an investigation two years ago had revealed serious
problems at the Ranmuthugala Home." Before I could even submit
the report on my findings, a child died at the home. I was able
to pin down some of those involved in this tragedy. I sent my report
to relevant authorities but little was done about it," he said.
Incidents of sexual and physical abuse at children's homes by the management and sometimes by outsiders aided by the caretakers themselves are not rare. One such incident included the sexual abuse of children at an institution in Kaithady, Jaffna. The Home was
raided on a court order by the Chavakachcheri Magistrate in April
following complaints from the public of alleged sexual abuse. The
Home was haven for both boys and girls aged eight to 17 years. The
home had 40 girls and 12 boys and some of the girls had allegedly
been abused by the 67-year-old warden. The Secretary
of the organization running the Home was among the persons arrested
and later released on bail. He claimed he was unaware of the incidents
despite his weekly visits. The Home was
brought under the charge of the Chavakachcheri Magistrate's court
on April 12. On April 17 the court gave a ruling that all the children
be sent to the Uduvil Children's Home. The Gunaratne
Bauddha Madhyasthanaya in Galle was notoriously known for its ill
treatment of children. The home was run by a Buddhist monk who had
allegedly been abusing the children for almost a year. The home
had been subject to close supervision by the Probation Department,
but no other action had been taken until recently when the National
Child Protection Authority nabbed the monk, following complaints
by residents in the area. The priest who was arrested on June 21 on charges of sexually abusing children was released subsequently on Rs. 100,000 bail and his passport impounded by the Galle Magistrates Court. Treasury
move hits homes Children's
homes, unlike other institutions, need to have a watchful eye and
responsible staff to ensure the welfare of the inmates. However,
the hands of the probation department have been tied owing to the
Treasury circular. "When a warden or matron retires, that position cannot be filled because we have been asked not to recruit. In some instances, peons or security guards do the job of a warden because no replacement has been made," the officer said. Action
taken While a lack
of finances is one of the reasons, even homes coming under government
care have been found to be of poor standard with incidents of abuse
being reported, he said. "Although
the government takes care of the expenditure, the children are not
cared for in some homes. They are subjected to abuse and their needs
ignored," he pointed out. Since children are subject to 'severe
control', Mr. Rannuge said, they refrain from making complaints.
He said when
a complaint is made against a home, the incidents are investigated
and appropriate action taken- which could even include the closure
of the home. One such incident was the closure of the Beruwela Children's
Home after investigations revealed that the inmates were being abused
by outsiders with assistance from the management. The children thereafter
had to be sent to another home, he said. Mr. Rannuge said there were 203 privately owned homes and 22 state-run children's homes. Before an institution is registered it is monitored for one year- a trial period. He said in cases where unregistered homes were detected they wereordered to close down. Don't
let the guilty get away Prof. de Silva
said perpetrators, even after being found guilty, often get away
with minimal penalty. "These
people are simply transferred. This means a child in another institution
becomes vulnerable to abuse. When the Probation and Child Care Department,
finds an individual guilty of charges he/she should be dismissed
from work," he said. Expressing dissatisfaction at the present
system, he quipped, "Horage ammagen pena ahanawa wage."
Recalling a case involving the Makola Boys' Home where some children
had been subject to assault he said, among several people taken
in for inquiry, one individual was charged while others were exonerated.
Although the court case is still pending, the individual who has
a case against him continues to work at the Home. "Ideally,
they should have suspended his work. But he's being allowed to continue,"
he said. Prof. de Silva said that well trained staff in children's homes was a longstanding requirement. In addition, he said, there was a need to draw up guidelines governing children's homes. An independent monitoring body comprising both government and civil society was also a must. |
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