Currently (as of 2021) there are 10,155

government schools (373 national schools and

9,782 provincial schools) with a student population
of 4.2 million and 235,924 teachers, 736 Pirivenas
and also 104 private schools with 127,968
students.
Population of Sri Lanka 2.22 crores (2022)

ragging is a form of violence among university

students in Sri Lanka. In a study done using 623
students at the Jaffna University of Sri Lanka, it
has been found that 59% of the students have
experienced emotional or verbal ragging

Since the end of the civil war, the Sri Lankan state
has been subject to much global criticism for
violating human rights as a result of committing
war crimes through bombing civilian targets, usage
of heavy weaponry, the abduction and massacres
of Sri Lankan Tamils and sexual violence.

Types of violence.
• physical violence.
• verbal violence (including hate speech)
• psychological violence.
• sexual violence.
• socio-economic violence.
Physical and humiliating punishment is considered to be widespread
in schools, homes and institutions; is accepted by many parents, teachers,
leaders, and children; and is still legal in most settings. 40.7% of parents
surveyed in 2013 had physically abused their child in the previous month.
An upcoming school-based child discipline study by the Government is
expected to provide updated data and identify promising positive
discipline practices.

While limited, existing data on sexual and gender-based violence is

worrying: in one study, 14.4% and 13.8% of late adolescent girls and boys
respectively reported experiencing some form of sexual abuse. There are
indications that offenders are often known and trusted by the child.
Statutory rape is an ongoing concern. The National Action Plan of Action to
Address Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) is a valuable entry
point for accelerating action on SGBV.

There is concern that the 14,500 children in institutions may face

emotional and physical abuse, with many institutions lacking quality
facilities and trained staff. Strengthening parent and caregiver support
could help address some of the push and pull factors into institutional
care.

Child marriage continues to impact some girls, although rates appear to

be in decline. The NCPA is considering how to address legal gaps that
expose Muslim girls to early marriage. Child marriage is largely driven by
teenage sexuality and fear of unmarried girls being sexually active (with
marriage intended to ‘legitimise’ sexual behaviour, even following
statutory rape).

The Government, with NGOs and the private sector, are starting to
educate children about online safety: increased access to information
and communication technologies has led to concerns that children will be
exposed to harm through these platforms. Laws need to ‘catch up’ to the
increasing risks of violence children in this rapidly evolving context.

There is little data on emotional wellbeing and mental health, but a

2009 study found that 31.3% and 25.4% of late adolescent males and
females respectively experienced emotional abuse in the previous three
months. Despite good intentions, parents exert pressure on children to
perform well in school, particularly on Grade 5 exams, damaging their
psychological wellbeing. There are concerns that the 20% of children who
are ‘left behind’ by parents migrating for employment are more likely to
face emotional harm and risk of violence and neglect. The war has had
complex multifaceted effects on family life, on parenting behaviours, and
on the social and economic conditions that affect the family, especially in
the Northern and the Eastern provinces. Many children are in deep
psychological distress and require special care, support and protection.

Preventing Violence
against Children in Sri
Lanka
Implementation and enforcement of laws
Sri Lanka has good legal coverage to protect children from violence,
although some legislative gaps remain. The draft Children’s (Judicial
Protection) Bill will be critical for improved child justice, but amendments
are required before it is passed. The larger challenge is in implementing
laws due to: strong focus on punishment, not prevention; lack of
knowledge among law enforcement officers of some laws; a tendency to
attribute blame for violence on the victim and reflect harmful norms and
values; and slow and inaccessible justice processes. Stakeholders are
concerned that there is a trend of imposing suspended sentences in child
sex abuse cases. Training and systems to manage cases and monitor child
victims throughout the justice system are needed.

Norms and values

The Government and other stakeholders have campaigned to strengthen
norms and values that protect children and prevent violence; improved
monitoring and evaluation will help maximise the effectivenessof these
investments. Some gender norms and values can hinder children’s safety.
Some men report a sense of entitlement in enacting sexual violence, and
79% of men and 75% of women think that a woman’s appearance and/or
behaviour ‘invites’ rape. Authoritarian and patriarchal attitudes, often
reinforced by the

media, can limit children’s

participation in decisions that affect 3
them and can lead to violence.
Rights- based child protection
training and minimum standards
will help to protect children from
harmful media reporting, which
often reinforces ethnic and gender
stereotypes, promotes violence as a
conflict-resolution tool,
sensationalises sexual violence, and
stigmatises victims. Faith based
leaders are also influential in
shaping norms and values.

Safe environments
There isn’t much information on
children’s safety outside of home
and school settings. Children can be
vulnerable to commercial sexual
exploitation in and around tourist
settings; campaigns have been
launched to address children’s risks
in these contexts. While estate
sector areas are recognized as
being particularly deprived, there
isn’t data to understand the specific
risks of violence faced by children
in these settings. The Government
has invested in improving children’s
access to services and support to
help vulnerable communities in the
North and the East to grapple with
the legacy of the conflict, including
war trauma, multiple
displacements, and loss of family,
kin, friends, homes, employment
and other valued resources.

Parent and caregiver

support
Programmes are needed to help
vulnerable parents – such as young
parents, those living with disability
or mental health or drug and
alcohol issues – to prevent child
abuse and violence in home. The
external migration of women for
employment, a key economic
strategy for Sri Lanka, has led to
many children losing the protection
of a female caregiver, which has in
turn been linked to higher levels of
domestic sexual abuse. Children in
the 23% of female-headed
households nationally are
reportedly at increased risk of
violence and exploitation. The
health sector is a valuable potential
partner for engaging parents and
carers, and connecting them with
knowledge, skills and support.

Income and economic

strengthening
There are several programmes to
improve families’ household
income, including through cash
transfers, subsidies, and micro-
credit schemes, the largest of which
is the Samurdhi (Divi Neguma)
Subsidy. However, important social
support services are not financed or
do not exist. There is no national
strategy to guide an inclusive and
child-sensitive social security
system. The impacts of existing
programmes on child wellbeing,
human development, and child
protection are not well understood.

Response and support

services
Government and NGOs are both
delivering critical services and
support to child victims of violence.
The quality of service provision can
be inconsistent, fragmented, and
subject to the commitment and
personality of individual service
providers. Response services often
fail to meet children’s needs, re-
victimising them due to poor
coordination, disjointed case
management and the limited
capacity of key providers. Case
management protocols that clarify
roles and responsibilities across
agencies at all levels, coupled with
minimum standards for service
delivery, could help to improve the
quality and coordination of services.
The professionalising of the social
service cadre, together with
training on child rights and service
standards is necessary, and should
address any norms and values that
negatively impact how
professionals engage with children.
Effective and efficient financing of
the services remains a key
challenge.
Education and life skills
The Government’s commitment to
extend compulsory education to 13
years of schooling will further build
on its already impressive education
results. Corporal punishment is
prohibited in principle but remains
commonplace. Bullying in schools is
a concern. Schools have access to
life skills curricula that can help to
empower children, but many
teachers are reportedly
uncomfortable with some of the
content related to sexuality. The
NCPA is working with the
Parliamentary Oversight Committee
and the Ministry of Education to
develop a new sexual and
reproductive health curriculum. The
country’s 3,867 Children’s Clubs are

an entry point for building

children’s life skills, knowledge and
participation. Other possible entry
points include: state children’s
homes; after-school classes for
participating children; and sports. A
review of existing life skills
approaches could help to improve
programme impacts.

How UNICEF
supported teacher
training provides
improved learning
for children in Sri
Lanka’s
teachers from the school
had the opportunity to
take part in the provincial
training programme on
Multi-level Teaching
(MLT). MLT is an
inclusive learning
approach that takes into
consideration the different
skill levels of students in
a class and uses teaching
and learning techniques
to effectively engage with
all students.
“MLT is a new concept for
us,” she adds, “when the
Principal announced that
the school was selected
for the implementation of
the MLT approach by the
Provincial Education
Department, and that we
will be sent for a training
programme, my four
colleagues and myself
had no idea what it
entailed.”

Nahawila Tamil School,

along with 50 other
schools under the Uva
Provincial Department of
Education, was selected
for the MLT approach
which includes
monitoring, providing
learning material,
establishing MLT
resource centres, and
improving the physical
facilities of the
classrooms.

The 3-day residential

training on MLT provided
Ms Devaselvi with new
techniques for teaching.
“The training program
taught me how to
organize the same lesson
to cater to students with
different knowledge
levels; I learned how to
plan my lesson to
address the needs of
each child in the
classroom, and also to
organise activities,
assessments,

The MLT training was

conducted by the
Provincial Department of
Education, Uva Province
with the technical and
financial support from
UNICEF. The training
included 3 zonal level
teachers training
workshops: two in
Sinhala medium and one
in Tamil medium, with
240 Sinhala medium
teachers and 60 Tamil
medium teachers in 100
schools in the education
division benefitting. The
training focused on
primary school teachers
of grades 1,2, and 3.