Putting an end to violence against children must be a priority

Sri Lanka’s National Children Day, celebrated today 1 October, marks an important moment to not only celebrate the joy, vibrancy and innocence of childhood, but to look closely at how we are preparing our next generation for their future, and this nation for its next generation.

Irrespective of if you are a parent, a grandparent, a sibling or a family member, we have all been children. And we all know how those formative years, from birth through to embarking on young adulthood at the age of 18, shape and affect our whole life. Yet whilst we know this intrinsically, we now have irrefutable scientific evidence that reaffirms in the strongest possible terms the absolute importance of a healthy, positive, violence free childhood not just to individuals, but to whole societies.

Most of us know of the importance of good nutrition, of good health care, of access to safe water and of good education. But are we aware of the importance of preventing and protecting children and young people from violence? Violence against children - and by that I mean physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation - is less known than ‘traditional’ challenges such as malnutrition, yet it is just as damaging to a child’s development, and its effects can be lifelong.

Violence affects millions of children around the world, including here in Sri Lanka, who experience violence in their homes, in their schools, online and in their communities. In 2016 Sri Lanka’s National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) received over 9,000 reports of violent incidences against children, yet we know that many more cases are unreported. What’s more, whilst some forms of violence are perpetrated by strangers, the vast majority are carried out by people, often adults or those in positions of trust and power that are known directly to the children. This includes parents, teachers, or other community leaders.

But why is this important? Surely, violence is done for the child’s own good? ‘Spare the rod, spoil the child’ as the old saying states. Well this is simply incorrect. Firstly violence against children is morally wrong, but further, preventing violence is essential because it scars children both physically and mentally, and its impacts can last a lifetime. We have scientific evidence that shows that the ‘toxic stress’ associated with all forms of violence can permanently affect the architecture and chemistry of the developing brain of a child, undermining learning and behavioural, social and emotional functioning as children grow into adulthood. Put simply it hampers their ability to learn including in school, and to develop into happy and healthy young people. This can lead to unhealthy behaviours in adulthood. This is not just catastrophic for the individual child, but to their families, their communities and our society. Children who are damaged in this way are unable to achieve and fulfil their full capacity, impacting their employment prospects and chances of success. It is estimated that the impact of violence translates into the annual loss of hundreds of billions of dollars – about 2% of Gross Domestic Product of the Asia and Pacific Region, which includes Sri Lanka.

Yet there is good news. In Sri Lanka we have a government who are aware of the risk violence presents to the country. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs (MoWCA), and with the support of UNICEF and many NGO’s and civil society groups, in June Sri Lanka launched the National Partnership to End Violence Against Children, part of a bold commitment to end all forms of violence against children by 2030. And today in Anuradhapura the MoWCA will launch a vital roadmap, setting out clear actions and milestones to achieve this bold target.

Yet ending violence is not the sole responsibility of the Government. It is the responsibility of everyone – individuals, businesses, community leaders, family members. In fact it cannot be achieved without the participation of these groups.

That is why today UNICEF has launched a series of powerful films that show just what a catastrophic impact violence has on young people, and importantly informs us, as citizens, of the simple steps we must take to play our vital role. These will be broadcast nationally on television today and available online for all.

Building a just, prosperous and stable society benefits everyone, especially our children, and the generations to come. And we will only do that by ensuring young people have the ability to reach their full potential. Preventing and protecting them from violence, physical and sexual abuse neglect and exploitation, must be prioritised this National Children’s Day and beyond.

I urge you to watch and share UNICEF’s hard hitting End Violence films, available in Sinhala, Tamil and English and to play your part. Visit unicef.lk/endviolence

(The writer is the UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka)