Special centre to care, safeguard destitute children: Geetha

The government was planning to establish a special centre to safeguard and take care of the destitute children, State Minister of Women and Child Affairs Geetha Kumarasinghe said today.

She told a news conference at the Government Information Department that she would discuss the proposal with the President to expedite the establishment of the Centre.

She said parents who are finding it difficult or unable to take care of their children could hand over them to the Centre.

Referring to the manner of questioning the mother who was arrested for abandoning an infant in a train, she said the way the police questioned her was unreasonable and questioned as to why the woman police officer was not present to handle the incident.

“There is a woman police officer in police stations to handle such matters. Where was that woman police officer? They should handle these matters. They have the right to do so,” she reiterated.

She said motherhood has deteriorated at present where several incidents of children being harassed of killed were reported during the recent past.

The Minister said it was observed that most of the killings and harassments of children by their parents were not because of economic constraints but to take revenge from their partners or teach a lesson to them.(Ajith Siriwardana)