Stop the abuse of Lankan mothers and girls - EDITORIAL

24 July 2015 06:30 pm - 0 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Today is Orange Day, a day to raise awareness and take action on the crisis of violence against women and girls. As a bright and optimistic colour, orange represents a future free from such violence. This campaign observed on the 25th of every month is led by the United Nations and involves mainly young people. Orange Day calls upon activists, governments and UN partners to mobilize people and highlight issues relevant to preventing and ending violence against women and girls, not only once a year--November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women--but on the 25th of every month.

This month, the campaign highlights the role of one particular group whose efforts are vital if a future free from violence against women and girls is to become a reality; the theme of action for 25 July, Orange Day, is “Orange our Future: Engaging youth to prevent and end violence against women and girls.”

The UN in a statement says that in a world that’s younger than ever before, with 1.8 billion people below the age of 24, and some 900 million of them adolescent girls and young women, young people are critical stakeholders in efforts to prevent and end violence against women and girls. As current and future leaders, young people are a driving force for change and can use their knowledge, power and passion to challenge negative attitudes, gender stereotypes and behaviour that set in early and lead to violence.

Young people are also addressed as key partners in education and prevention strategies. Violence against women and girls, rooted in gender inequality and discrimination, starts early. The best way to end violence against women and girls is by stopping it happening in the first place, and effective prevention strategies must engage young people as leaders and participants, the UN says.

The in our editorial on Thursday spotlighted one of the most horrible cases of violence against girls. Testifying at a Vatican summit of some 50 mayors and governors to tackle the crisis of global warming and human slavery, heard the testimony of a 22-year-old Mexican girl Karla Jacinto who described how she was physically and sexually abused by her family and forced into prostitution between the ages of 12 and 17. She was forced to have sex with more than 42,000 clients before she was rescued. Karla Jacinto now a mother of two campaigns on behalf of trafficking victims.

What is the gravity of this crisis in Sri Lanka? We have heard of some despicable cases, one of the worst being the Pradeshiya Sabha chairman who in 2012 held a liquor bash to celebrate his century not in cricket but in terms of the number of young girls and women he had raped. What a maniac! We also heard of another local council chairman who went on a rape rampage at the Noori Estate in Avissawella and allegedly killed the superintendent who tried to stop his rape and robbery madness. We hope Sri Lanka never again returns to the era of such criminalisation of politics.

The more serious issue, not often highlighted, is that of about one million young Sri Lankan mothers and girls who go to the Middle East for work. Reports say most of them are forced to work like slaves for about 20 hours a day. Though the cases may not be as horrifying as Mexico’s Karla Jacinto, reports indicate that thousands of Sri Lankan women and girls are sexually abused by the men in the families which they work for.

In many cases there are tragedies in the families here also when the mother goes away leaving the father with young daughters to look after. Often there had been reports of sexual abuse leading to the break up of thousands of families. The Ven Maduluwawe Sobitha Nayaka Thera, back again on the campaign trail for the Yahapalanaya, has appealed to President Maithripala Sirisena to take effective measures to gradually end the human slavery of Sri Lankan women and girls.

It is a disgrace that this scandal has become the largest source of foreign exchange while no major alliance or party has pledged in its manifesto to take action to stop the widespread sexual abuse of Sri Lankan mothers, women and girls in the
Middle East.

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Stop the abuse of Lankan mothers and girls - EDITORIAL

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