Attempts at trafficking, exploiting disaster-hit children on the rise

Child and Women Affairs Ministry warn, alerts police 

A number of children affected by disasters, some lose parents

Exact number of affected children to be out soon 

The cyclone inundated more than 1.1 million hectares 

By Kelum Bandara 

In the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, the Women and Child Affairs Ministry warned of increased attempts by certain elements for child trafficking and exploitation, a spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson said a number of children had been affected by the disasters, with some losing one or both parents. The Ministry is planning to put out the exact number related to children affected in a couple of days. 

“We see attempts at child trafficking and exploitation. One should be careful not to use images of affected children on social media,” the spokesperson said. 

The police have been alerted to such attempts. 

The cyclone that made landfall on November 28 triggered floods and landslides, causing unprecedented damage to human lives, property and infrastructure. The government agencies are now in the process of assessing the damage. 

Minister of Women and Child Affairs Savithri Paulraj told Daily Mirror that 87 children had lost their parents – both or one of them- in the disasters, and the proper data are being collected by the relevant agencies at the moment. 

An estimated 2.3 million people – more than half of them women – were living in areas flooded by Cyclone Ditwah that struck Sri Lanka, the UNDP said earlier. 

New geospatial analysis from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) shows floodwaters from the cyclone inundated more than 1.1 million hectares – almost 20 per cent of the country’s land area – and caused significant damage to homes, infrastructure and essential services. 

The analysis, which draws from disaster-related data from the Government of Sri Lanka, provides a nationwide picture of the cyclone’s impact, which is being termed as one of the worst flooding disasters to hit Sri Lanka in decades. 

Over half of the people in the flooded areas were living in households already facing multiple vulnerabilities before the cyclone, including unstable income, high debt, and limited ability to cope with disasters. Under these conditions, even moderate shocks can turn into long-lasting setbacks.