Interview Feature
"Sri Lanka has become an unsafe environment for women and children," said Dr. Tushara Wickramanayake, fondly known as Tush. A family physician and founder and chairperson of Stop Child Cruelty Trust, she has worked in child welfare since the 2004 tsunami and became a passionate child rights advocate after her own 11-year-old daughter was subjected to corporal punishment and mental abuse in an international school in 2018.
Spearheading a national campaign to end violence against children in Sri Lanka, Tush's self-learning experience of the crippled child protection mechanism, indefatigable efforts in advocacy work, and compassion and empathy in raising awareness have resulted in global recognition and historical achievements in a short period of time. This interview focuses on her experience working with children affected by abuse and the urgent need for stronger protection systems.
Can you tell us about your experience working with children who have been affected by abuse?
Child abuse can be broadly categorized into physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse, and neglect. Physical abuse, cruelty, and corporal punishment are the most common forms of abuse in Sri Lanka and globally, affecting 1.3 billion children each year. The complaints received on cruelty by the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) have trebled in ten years, with 2238 cases reported in 2023. Sexual abuse, especially online abuse, is increasing rapidly. Whilst there may be injuries and scars visible immediately after physical and sexual abuse, all forms of abuse affect the child mentally. But mental scars may not be obvious and may require years before a formal clinical diagnosis is made.
Therefore, mental abuse is often overlooked, their true effects amplifying years later into adulthood and cascading to society. Often, the impact of abuse depends on the child's own internal resilience and external support systems. Irrespective of our own upbringing and prejudices, we must endorse zero tolerance of any form of abuse against children growing up in the 21st century.
How do you handle situations where you suspect abuse but do not have concrete evidence?
The first and simple golden rule is BELIEVE the child. Ninety percent of child abuse occurs within the home environment, perpetrated by people whom the child loves and trusts. Most of the time, the abuse occurs for years, maybe even known to some adults and ignored because they are afraid of the scandal this may reveal or crippled by the power hierarchy. If the child mentions anything untoward, try not to dismiss the child or defend the alleged perpetrator in the intention of saving the family name, school name, or reputation of the person.
Children may show symptoms of abuse which may be subtle: becoming quiet and withdrawn, spending more time in seclusion, avoiding things they normally enjoy, refusal of school, spending more time on devices, eating or sleeping disturbances, substance abuse, mood changes including anger and behavior, risk-taking behaviours, or joining unfamiliar circles of friends.
The best way to ensure your child comes to you as the first port of call if they are in trouble is to have healthy parent-child communication without persecution or blame. Encourage your child to follow the traffic light system from the age that they can walk and talk: Red - shout, Orange - run, and Green - tell someone they trust. Introduce a security ring where the child identifies two or three trusted adults. Always remember the first and last step is to BELIEVE the child.
What was most rewarding and what was most challenging about working with child survivors of abuse?
The globally accepted term is "survivor" of child abuse because victimizing someone is disempowering them. The most rewarding is when the child is able to overcome the trauma and function at the highest individual capacity they consider as being normal for them. This could even be as simple as waking up and getting to school consistently.
The most challenging has been dealing with bureaucratic lethargy in finding care, support, and justice through state mechanisms. Once the child is removed from the immediate risk, the safest and healthiest option often requires a multidisciplinary approach with the family unit at the heart of the solution. Caregiver support also includes education and economic and mental support, which is often neglected whilst focusing only on the child.
Can you describe a difficult case you have worked on and how you handled it?
One recent case involved two sisters, aged 17 and 14 years, who were suspected of being sexually harassed by their father in a remote village. Although there was no conclusive evidence of actual sexual abuse, the stories from the girls were convincing enough for immediate action. The mother was a laborer on a meager allowance, whilst the father was the main provider and was influencing local systems.
Legal action was filed requesting restricted access for the father and full guardianship for the mother. When attempts to secure a government safe home failed, further steps included helping the mother find higher-paying work, relocating the family, and intervening with education authorities when the father blocked the release of school documents. After months of effort, the girls were enrolled in a better school with counselling support, where they are now excelling.
What is your understanding of child protection?
Many are confused by these terms. Child safeguarding encompasses broader preventive measures within an organization and refers to actions that address how operations and work practices impact children's welfare. Child protection is an important part of safeguarding and refers to the actions taken when a particular child is at risk of significant harm. Child protection programs are targeted initiatives designed to address these issues through direct interventions.
For example, safeguarding includes risk assessments in service delivery points, while child protection includes reporting cases and providing psychosocial support to a child who has been physically abused. In Sri Lanka, safeguarding mechanisms are largely nonexistent, with no systematic child protection policies either. As a result, programs are inconsistent and reactive instead of preventive.
What are the current child protection mechanisms in Sri Lanka, and how do they compare to the rest of the world?
Sri Lanka ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991. Yet many laws and regulations remain weakly implemented in practice. Despite cabinet approval of the National Child Protection Policy in 2019, the National Child Protection Authority has failed to implement it to date. Likewise, education circulars that forbid physical punishment in schools are not consistently enforced.
Although Sri Lanka was recognized in 2017 as the only South Asian pathfinding country focused on ending violence against children, progress stalled after the National Partnership to End Violence Against Children collapsed in 2018. The absence of safeguarding policies and mechanisms has left a high incidence of abuse within schools and care homes, while backlogs in investigations and prosecutions continue to deny justice to children.
Dr. Tush points to the Auditor General's Report of 2022, which found more than 40,000 cases of child abuse backlogged at the NCPA and Attorney General's Department. She calls this a national tragedy and a sign that child welfare has not yet been treated as a core political priority.
What are three things the government can implement immediately to improve the child protection crisis?
Dr. Tush identifies three immediate priorities: appoint a Presidential Task Force for children, provide additional budget allocation for education and child welfare, and finalize the legislative process on penal code reforms to abolish corporal punishment. That bill passed through cabinet in September 2024, and she hopes the new government will present it to parliament without delay.
