Children, women need special focus in aftermath of Ditwah devastation

It is children and women who suffer disproportionately at the time of a crisis including during the time of natural disasters such as the one that has impacted the country. Many hundreds are displaced and living in temporary  lodging. For some it will be a long wait to get back to permanent homes while for others it should be a shorter period.

The numbers are still being counted but there will be children who have been left orphaned, some left with a single parent, woman left widowed or alone having lost their family members in the tragedy.

The biggest concern for women and children is their personal safety and security which can easily get compromised outside the safety of their homes. The walls of their houses which once sheltered them from many dangers and kept them safe are today, either fully or partially destroyed while others are muddied/water damaged and will take weeks to be restored to what they were.

For children the blow is the worst. They have had their young lives  drastically alternated overnight. Some of their schools are gone, their schoolmates missing and even teachers have perished. For a young mind it’s difficult to comprehend that when nature deals some of its cruellest blows, it spares no one. Anyone in the path either perishes or has to start their lives all over.

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF has said that Cyclone Ditwah has left children across Sri Lanka facing an escalating humanitarian crisis with severe damage to homes and vital infrastructure, along with the disruption of essential services, has caused widespread displacement and increases the risk of disease outbreaks, malnutrition, unsafe living conditions, and severe emotional distress among children.

“The cyclone may have passed, but the consequences have not. Children need urgent help,” UNICEF said.

The Government announced this week that Rs. 25,000 will be given to all school-going children affected by floods and landslides. The money which will be taken from the  President’s Fund is for the use of the educational needs of affected children.

This is a welcome move but other than the monetary help, the students will need psychological help as well  before they can return to a classroom and feel safe again.

One of the most urgent things is to get those who have lost homes and are in shelters into proper dwellings. It is clear that many will not be able to go back to where they once lived, especially in the upcountry areas.  The areas that have been impacted by landslides are no longer safe and the onus is on the Government to give them alternate lands in safer areas.

But as the State machinery grinds slowly and such measures may take months or even a year or more, as an immediate measure, the Government should consider offering rent money to the affected persons  for at least a year so that they can move into temporary housing of their choice. The rental payments may have to be paid for even up to two years if the necessity arises.

The economic cost for any such natural calamity of this scale is massive and for Sri Lanka, which is still far from recovering from the 2022 economic crisis, this couldn’t have come at a worse time. But this is a time when a large section of the country’s population needs assistance to get back on their feet and the Government should not spare any expenses in providing for these families/individuals. There is no use having an overflowing Treasury if the money in State coffers don’t serve the people when they are in dire need of help. It is time to put the money where the mouth is.