Silence of the lambs…..

- By Prabhath Seneviratne
National Child Protection Authority officials and the Police, on Monday raided an orphanage allegedly run by a person calling himself 'Pastor' in the wake of allegations that children were being employed to slaughter animals.

While the act of getting children to engage in animal slaughter is despicable, what is more disturbing is the manner in which the children were used for this task.
It is reported that this orphanage was a home to almost 90 children, some orphaned by the tsunami and some sent there on court directives. The National Child Protection Authority has to be commended for taking swift action after the release of a video footage recorded by a journalist.

" Many religious organisations run orphanages and the vast majority of them are recognized as legitimate by the respective faiths and by relevant state authorities "

This is not the first time a so called clergyman, self-styled or otherwise, has been caught doing un clergyman-like things. Indeed, error of ways is not specific to any religion or any faith.

But the most serious question here is how this so called ‘Pastor’ was allowed set up this operation in the first place. Who gave him permission? It is reported that the facility is registered with the NCPA. Many religious organisations run orphanages and the vast majority of them are recognized as legitimate by the respective faiths and by relevant state authorities. The NCPA does not get involved in religious matters and therefore the ecclesiastical question falls out of its ambit.
It is also well known that many evangelical organisations don’t advertise themselves as such, hoodwinking authorities under cover of the Companies’ Act or else entering the country by misleading the BOI.

Once here, the fear of being labelled as religiously intolerant, relevant authorities are forced to stay their hand when it comes to investigating such organizations, especially since there is no lack of human rights activists ready to howl in protest about violation of religious rights.What about the children though? What about an under-aged being trained to take the life of another creature? What about an alleged pastor using authority to employ his charges thus? Would the court have sent them there if this was known? Does this not call for more vigilance, scrutiny and screening by the State? Where the State fails, is not space automatically created for non-State actors with dubious agendas to intervene, in the name of religion, child rights, culture and civilization?

It is reported that the so called ‘Pastor’ had prohibited children from practicing their faith. This begs the question: are orphanages run by certain religious bodies of whatever denomination or faith really interested in giving home and security to children or surreptitiously using authoritative and protective weight to convert?
Each religious organization has its own rules and regulations. Each faith has errant priests. Still, there are those who operate as though following they were following divine writ and seek refuge in notions of religious freedom.



But there is a big difference between practicing one’s religion and practicing what one believes the religion dictates or recommends. Some would argue that it is ultimately a human choice while others might say ‘it is god’s will’. Either way, the propriety of an act can and should be assessed in terms of human rules such as the Constitution or the Penal Code.

" Whenever a priest (again of whatever religious persuasion) engages in these kinds of activities, he automatically discredits his faith and the relevant institution, which in the end casts a cloud over the true men of faith tirelessly serving their fellow creatures '

Whenever a priest (again of whatever religious persuasion) engages in these kinds of activities, he automatically discredits his faith and the relevant institution, which in the end casts a cloud over the true men of faith tirelessly serving their fellow creatures. This is all the more reason why the relevant authorities must take strong objection and indeed impose more effectively their own rules and regulations on their clergymen. The State, however, cannot wait on breach of the same because it is responsible for law and order, and most of all the protection and nurturing of the nation’s children.