Monday Oct 07, 2024
Monday Oct 07, 2024
Tuesday, 10 December 2013 00:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
“Poverty, lack of education, poor living standards, collapse of the economy and failure to uphold the rule of law” were identified by these four MPs as key reasons for the increase in violence against women and children and for the denial of equal rights and respect.
Opening the Committee Stage Debate on the 14th allotted day of the Appropriation Bill 2014 Senanayake held the Government responsible for false promises about reducing poverty.
“The Government claims to have developed the country but the economic development and social happiness is a key indicator of a country’s development. Crimes against women and children are increasing drastically. According to UNICEF and ILO there are 40,000 child prostitutes in Sri Lanka and 6.4% of the country’s child population gets pregnant,” she said.
Senanayake said the number of abortions conducted per day in Sri Lanka ranges between 1,000 and 1,500. There are over 300 street children and 90,000 are in a dangerous and a critical situation, the MP said.
Senanayake said during January to September 2012, 4,414 crimes were committed against minors. “This number comes to 23,589 if you consider the past six years,” MP Senanayake charged claiming that every 24 hours three children get abused.
Senanayake demanded the resignation of the Minister for Child Development and Women’s Affairs Tissa Karaliyadda for accusing women’s rights activists of being unchaste women.
However, Minister Karalliyadda denied such a statement.
In response UPFA Member of Parliament Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle stated that the Government had taken steps to uplift the living conditions and the safety of women and children in Sri Lanka.
“Women receive a lot of benefits and welfare from this Budget. The direct allocations seem to be less but indirect benefits are much greater. The increased number of suicides among the mothers and children are not due to poverty.”
Fernandopulle alleged that women commit suicide due to lack of skills. “The ministry has to regularise counselling to prevent suicides in Sri Lanka. I think more allocation has to be made for this. We are against child abuse and violence against women. We should not provide the culprits any support. We shouldn’t politicise these issues making it difficult to solve. De-sensitisation programs were not there when the war ended. Day care centres have to be started in companies with more women employees,” she said.
