International Children’s Day and the present situation in Sri Lanka

With the news reports on the prevalence of acute malnutrition among children, Sri Lanka is compelled to celebrate World Children’s Day 2022 with a new approach to address the issues pertaining to children.

World Children’s Day offers each of us an inspirational entry- point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children. However, in the context of the present situation in Sri Lanka, it is extremely fitting to embrace a new strategy to approach children on this Children’s Day.

Besides, though the world is almost relieved from COVID-19, the pandemic has also impacted the lives of billions of children all over the world and has created a massive disruption in education. The pandemic has also led to a significant increase in the number of children living in multidimensional poverty, which means that they lack access to fundamental resources such as education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation, and water.

Against this backdrop, here are some points which help us give space for children to grow and teach them something worthwhile.

Children’s Day should not be limited just to schools, but it should also be arranged on a small scale amongst underprivileged and needy children to make them know their rights.

We cannot let children be ignored because they are our prospects and the ones who decide the future. Hence, the decision-makers should give thorough thought as we celebrate International Children’s Day to create a platform where children can overcome the challenges faced by them during this critical period.

Western beliefs about childhood are often focused on preserving innocence and are also embedded with exclusionary classist and racist assumptions. These assumptions serve to insinuate that “knowing” children (children in poverty, homeless children, and those who have experienced trauma) aren’t entitled to innocence.

Although parents may wish to protect children from difficult realities so that they won’t feel sad or afraid, doing so reinforces the idea that children shouldn’t know things.

And yet, perhaps now more than ever, children know and understand so much about our world, and are eager to share. When we pay attention to what children know, we honour them as important contributors to our community, our society, and our world.

In addition, when we acknowledge children’s knowledge and experiences, we recognise their important contributions to our families, our communities and our society. This year has provided many examples of children’s abilities to promote change, act responsibly and protect the wellbeing of others.

At the same time, children deserve to be acknowledged as knowing, experienced and capable human beings. Adults can honour that right by inviting children into conversations, listening to what they have to say and taking their thoughts and feelings seriously. Rethinking childhood through a justice lens acknowledges children as fundamental to our world, not simply for what they might become, but who they are and what they can do, right now.

However, we should know the feeling of children and not let children’s Day be confined to cultural events and ceremonies, but put effort into something for the children who are going through the darkness of life. We require a children’s Day where not only schools but each child living in the society can recognise that they too have a presence in this nation. They also hold equity to live a virtuous life in this land. It is necessary because they are deemed to be the future of the realm and if they are conscious of their rights and liabilities from childhood, they can raise their voices against the wickedness and exploitation experienced by them.

The Children of today are the eternity of Sri Lanka. If we need to make our country great, then we must pay attention to these innocent souls. Only then our nation will become prominent. Therefore, we should take an oath to not only serve children on Children’s Day but each Day for their well-being and benefit and help them to accomplish their dreams securely especially considering the current state of affairs in the country.