Program to introduce and sensitize police officers to the National Policy on Child Protection
"The Government of Sri Lanka has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Therefore, the Government of Sri Lanka is committed to taking all necessary measures to implement the above Convention".
A one-day workshop to introduce and sensitize police officers to the National Policy on Child Protection was held yesterday at the Kegalle District Secretariat Auditorium under the patronage of Additional District Secretary A. T. Kusum Bandara (Administration). The National Child Protection Authority has the power to formulate the National Policy on Child Protection in terms of Section 14, Part 'A' of the National Child Protection Authority Act No. 50 of 1998. The National Child Protection Authority has been established with supervisory and regulatory powers. This national policy has been prepared in accordance with the public opinion including the government, non-governmental civil society, voluntary stakeholders and children. Also, in introducing the national policy on child protection, all persons below the age of 18 years residing in Sri Lanka are subject to this policy. When inquiring about the National Child Protection Authority and its role; Sri Lanka Police, Probation and Child Protection Department, Department of Labour, Compulsory Education of Children are the institutions that are mandatory in this regard and the work done by these institutions cannot be underestimated. Here, the Sri Lanka Police Department has become a partner institution to implement this policy. Therefore, the Police Department has established Child and Women Bureaus at the district level attached to the Child Protection Authority.
In introducing the national policy on child protection through the workshop held yesterday; The National Child Protection Authority and its role, child rights for the national policy on child protection, child rights policies, guiding principles and values of the national policy, policy objectives, five-year strategic policies and ministerial responsibilities were the main points mentioned above. The welcome and explanation of the purpose was made by the District Child Protection Officer, Mrs. Vinodani Kulathunga, while the Additional District Secretary commented on the program.
She explained: "We all need protection. Creating an environment where children can live without mental and physical obstacles is called protection. Protection is mandatory from the time a child is conceived in the womb until the time he dies. Today, an environment where a child is insecure has been created even while he is in the womb of a mother. Children are in an unsafe situation from the time they are sent to school to the time they graduate from higher education. Why should children be protected? From whom should they be protected? Children should be protected from various parties in the society we live in. Children should be protected from their mother, father, siblings, school teachers, peers and teachers in tutoring classes and from various parties in the society. If any risk is faced by children from these parties, we, as state officials, have been entrusted with the responsibility of protecting those children."
When it comes to child protection, the Child Protection Authority and the Police Department cannot act separately. Both institutions should join hands for this task. Here, the Sri Lanka Police has also been assigned a heavy task. This workshop was held yesterday with the participation of police officers to educate them on how to properly fulfill the duties assigned to the police based on the National Policy on Child Protection. For the program to introduce the National Policy on Child Protection, the officers of the District Child Protection Resource Pool, Mr. Indika Jayawardena (Gampaha) and Mr. Mahendra Dassanayake (Anuradhapura), conducted the program under the following topics. The topics discussed were "The Role of the National Child Protection Authority and the Authority's Act and its Functions", "Introduction of the National Policy on Child Protection", "Discussion on the National Conceptual Framework on Child Protection", "Discussion on the Implementation of the National Child Protection Policy and its Guiding Principles and Values", "Goals of the National Policy and the Responsibilities of the Relevant Ministries", "Discussion on the Integrated Approach to the Implementation of the National Policy in the District".
This program, organized by the District Child Protection Officer, Mrs. Vinodani Kulatunga, and the District Psychosocial Officer, Mrs. Chathurika Bandara, attached to the National Child Protection Authority, concluded as a successful one-day workshop and was attended by the OICs of the Seethawaka and Kegalle Police Stations in the Kegalle District, OICs of the Children's and Women's Bureaus and officers of the Minor Complaints Sections of the Police Stations.
