Protecting children

Tuesday, 14 June 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

There is always more than one side to an issue. Last week the Tourism Board announced the latest numbers of travellers to visit Sri Lanka and even though they were the lowest this year, they nonetheless indicated that the target of 700,000 is on track. However, it was also stated by the National Child Protection Authority that the number of child abuse cases were rising due to tourism.

Sri Lanka has a disturbing history of attracting less-desirable travellers. Rising child abuse due to the increase of tourism, especially in coastal areas, is a huge problem that has not abated yet. With the increase in tourism numbers there are credible fears that another wave of child abuse will take place in Sri Lanka. So are the tourism dollars worth the risk?

It was reported that Sri Lanka welcomed 48,943 tourists in the month of May, recording a 39 per cent increase from a year earlier, backed by large numbers arriving from the South Asian and Western European quarters of the world.

Even though 48,943 is the lowest number of arrivals to be achieved in a month within the first five months of the year, the May figures posted by Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau show that the arrivals for the first five months of the year climbed to 327,902 – a 40.2 per cent increase from the same period last year. At the beginning of the year the Tourism Board announced that numbers had to grow 25% month on month to achieve the target of 700,000 tourists set by ‘Visit Sri Lanka’ year.

Tourist authorities have also announced that a host of events have been planned to attract more tourists in the coming months. This is not to say that tourism in entirely bad and should be banned completely, but rather a call for caution and a strengthening of frameworks so that children can be protected.

The NCPA Chairman has noted that they had tried to bring the issue before the IGP before his retirement but received no response. She has also mentioned that the NCPA suffers from a severe lack of resources and is therefore working with non-governmental and other grassroot level organisations to carry out their duties. This shows a clear lapse of organisation within the different stakeholders that are supposed to be protecting children.

While strengthening the NCPA and other similar organisations is a must, it is also important to create awareness among people so that the community can protect children. It is also of importance that the Women and Children’s Department, NCPA and interlinked ministries work with the Tourism Bureau to formulate and implement effective programmes to protect children.

The Police in particular need to work closely with Immigration authorities so that known offenders are not allowed into the country and track investigations of suspicious individuals that are conducted internationally. Raising awareness among Police officials who serve in areas where child abuse is widespread would also be another option. These are just a few of the many steps that can be taken to protect the future generation.

Tourism is an avenue to create income for the poor; they should not have to suffer because of it.