REPORT REVEALS NO FOSTER PARENTS FOR 107TSUNAMI-AFFECTED CHILDREN

COPE said it observed that rules and regulations governing activities regarding children and the youth had not been amended or modified for the last 75 years.

The Committee of Public Enterprises (COPE), in its interim report, says that 107 children affected by the 2004 tsunami had not been provided with the foster-parents facility due to the lack of death certificates of their parents.

Therefore, COPE asks the National Child Protection Authority, to seek legal advice from the Attorney General to a special ruling by court regarding these children. Also, the Committee headed by Senior Minister D.E.W. Gunasekara said they were not satisfied with explanations given regarding another 2,661 children affected by the tsunami.

The Authority has been asked to furnish a comprehensive report on them categorizing them under age-groups. COPE said it observed that rules and regulations governing activities regarding children and the youth had not been amended or modified for the last 75 years. The Committee also stressed on the need to regulate 400 private care centres with 17,000 children in the country.

In another instance, foreign funds received for programmes targeting the prevention of child abuse had been used for other purposes such as repairing vehicles, purchasing of a photocopy machine, and paying taxes.COPE says it is an offence that warrants legal action against the then Board of Directors.