OMP urges Govt to include families of missing and disappeared as beneficiaries for rations

The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) has written to the President, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force to include the families of the missing and disappeared in Coronavirus (COVID19) relief measures undertaken by the government.

Saliya Pieris P.C. Chairperson of the OMP said that his office recognizes the grave threat posed by COVID-19 to Sri Lankan society while acknowledging the severe strain imposed on state resources when adopting measures in response to such a threat. The OMP observed that in many cases, the most vulnerable among families of the missing and disappeared are elderly and are female headed households and survive on the daily wages of one family member.
 

“The lockdown and the subsequent curfew that was imposed in order to minimize and prevent the spread of the virus have created difficulties, particularly for the more vulnerable sections of Sri Lankan society. The OMP wishes to bring to Your Excellency’s attention the need to include one such extremely vulnerable group - the families of the missing and disappeared - whose situation should be considered when developing relief measures in the current context,” Chairman said in the letter.

 As observed in the OMP’s Interim Report of August 2018, some families of the missing and disappeared have suffered the emotional, social and economic consequences of disappearances for over thirty years with either limited or no state assistance. In many cases, it was the primary bread winner – a husband or a son - who was disappeared leaving behind wives, elderly parents and young children. These families in addition to having no income, are not able to access welfare benefits, wages and social assistance to which the disappeared person is entitled.
 

In acknowledgement of the situation of extreme poverty faced by some families, in its Interim Report of August 2018, at paragraphs 45(a)-(f) the OMP recommended a range of interim relief measures for the most vulnerable among families of the missing and disappeared pending the award of a reparations package. In response to one of the interim relief measures recommended by the OMP, the Government proposed to allocate Rs. 500 million in the 2019 Budget, to provide Rs. 6000 monthly relief to families of missing and disappeared persons, including members of the armed forces and police identified as missing in action on the condition of them of possessing a Certificate of Absence.
 

“The prevailing situation in the country has had dire consequences on these families, as they are no longer able to earn their wages and they have limited or no assets,” Chairman said while recommending that families of the missing and disappeared be included in any proposed relief measures, including the provision of food and financial assistance in response to the current crisis.