{"id":53868,"date":"2017-06-22T23:26:40","date_gmt":"2017-06-23T03:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=53868"},"modified":"2017-06-22T23:26:40","modified_gmt":"2017-06-23T03:26:40","slug":"president-sirisena-jeopardises-child-protection-in-sri-lanka-by-firing-renowned-child-protection-specialist-sajeeva-samaranayake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=53868","title":{"rendered":"President Sirisena Jeopardises Child Protection in Sri Lanka By Firing Renowned Child Protection Specialist Sajeeva Samaranayake"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

Dr.Prasanna Cooray<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shivers were sent down the spines of the good governance aspirants when President Maithripala Sirisena, in most unwelcome manner, removed Sajeeva Samaranayake, Deputy Chairman National Child Protection Authority (NCPA). It is understood that no reason has been cited for his removal in the letter of expulsion. The NCPA comes under the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, whose minister is Ms. Chandrani Bandara. (To put the record straight, good governance aspirants, if at all still remain, since the establishment of the yahapalana government two and a half years ago, are few and far between and a disillusioned lot.).<\/p>\n

The yahapalana government seems to have a special predilection for sacking good people. It was exactly a year ago they got rid of Prof. Krishantha Weerasuriya, former WHO South Asian advisor of medicinal drug policy, from the CEO post at the newly established National Medicinal Drug Regulatory Authority (NMRA), for dubious reasons only best known to them.<\/p>\n

The media reported that an affidavit submitted by Samaranayake to a court in Melbourne had been the bone of contention. This document had been issued in connection with a case of a Sri Lankan woman, who after separating from her husband had migrated to Australia with her two under aged sons. Supposedly, therein, Samaranayake has stated that there is not enough protection for the children in Sri Lanka and the victim support procedures related to children are inefficient.<\/p>\n

Samaranayake maintains the position that he as an official of the NCPA should take all decisions and actions in the best interests of children. This goes without saying even for the affidavits issued to foreign courts. This in turn, will also facilitate the foreign court to make its judgment in the best interest of children and ensure their maximum wellbeing. At the same time, Samaranayake as a legal expert has sufficient expertise and experience to express his independent and unbiased opinion.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With Samaranayake\u2019s ousting, the legal status of the affidavit issued by him to the Australian court will be null and void. Thus, it cannot resist thinking, if this particular case has anything to do with his removal.<\/p>\n

Secondary victimization<\/strong><\/p>\n

Secondary victimization is one aspect that Samaranayake is supposed to have highlighted in his affidavit. This means the agony children have to go through in open courts when they are called to give evidence related to the cases they are involved in, either as victims or witnesses.<\/p>\n

Secondary victimization of children is an untoward situation, well-known to prevail in our justice system that needs rectification. This is neither new nor a secret. This has even been reported to the International Committee on Children\u2019s Rights in 1994, 1998, 2008 and 2015.<\/p>\n

The Cabinet Subcommittee, in 2014, has even acknowledged this and has recommended that all state institutions dedicated to child protection be brought under one mechanism to lessen this unsavory practice. Based on these lines, in 2016, Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated a programme to establish a common mechanism. This has been included in the chapter on Children\u2019s Rights in the Human Rights Action Plan. Thus, all these accusations leveled against Samaranayake are common public knowledge also known by the international community. As such, it cannot resist thinking, if this is a well-orchestrated move by the parties with vested interests to quash the progress of Samaranayake\u2019s march forward in the child protection field in the country.<\/p>\n

Samaranayake \u2013 the child protector<\/strong><\/p>\n

Samaranayake is an esteemed legal practitioner in the field of child protection in Sri Lanka. His track record is exceptionally impressive. In the context of charges of undermining the country that are levelled against him by some elements, it is a little known fact \u2013 and something rarely spoken of by this unassuming officer \u2013 is that he was the young state counsel who prepared an indictment with over 700 charges and then went on to successfully prosecute the former LTTE Chief (in absentia) et al. in the High Court of Colombo.<\/p>\n

He has over 18 years\u2019 service in the legal profession, of which 10 years directly in the field of child protection. Further, he is one of the most qualified on the subject in the country. Samaranayake has a master\u2019s degree in Law and Social Work from the University of East Anglia in Norwich. His past experience in child protection include senior national officer and technical lead on child protection at the Unicef Sri Lanka, which he held from 2003 to 2008. Incidentally, he was the first Child Protection Specialist at the Unicef, post he held from 2006 to 2008. He had also served as a consultant to the Ministry of Justice on the same subject area. All the more, in the field, he is regarded as one who works whole heartedly to improve and further the broader domain of child protection in the context of state justice delivery system.<\/p>\n

Samaranayake also has immense experience in social development. In the immediate aftermath of 2004 December tsunami he took a lead role in establishing the post tsunami social care centres that coordinated the social work services and infrastructure development at divisional levels in the Western, Southern and Eastern provinces bringing the Ministries of Child Development and Social Services together.<\/p>\n

In 2007 and 2008, as Child Protection Specialist at Unicef, he reviewed the child protection procedures of the Children and Young Persons Ordinance (CYPO) and coordinated a national programme for all the magistrates in the country on child protection and juvenile justice by building an effective partnership between Ministry of Justice, UNICEF and the Save the Children in Sri Lanka. His pioneering work include conduct and development of modules for training programmes for the trainers in the police training schools.<\/p>\n

Samaranayake took great interest in reforming remand homes and certified schools, a long drawn need in the country. He, between 2011 and 2014, assisted the Supreme Court as a technical expert and coordinator in FR 335\/10 which was converted into a public interest litigation for the reform of the probation institutions of the Western Province in Makola and Ranmuthugala with the consent of all parties to the case.<\/p>\n

Since assuming duties as the deputy chairman of the NCPA in 2015, Samaranayake was instrumental in bringing in many system improvement initiatives. As an officer well versed in the child protection law he continuously raised the question of relevance against the legal mandate of the NCPA in terms of its Act; interpreting and clarifying the scope and purpose of this law; initiating and supporting the development of a strategic plan to bring the work of NCPA into alignment with its law<\/p>\n

He also spearheaded the development of an action plan to develop a child protection system in the country, which was incorporated into the Human Rights Action Plan 2016. Further he introduced a technical circles process as an ongoing mechanism for policy engagement and development of learning and key competencies for service providers engaged in child protection.<\/p>\n

It is a great pity that the government has dropped a person with immense insights and experience in child protection as a hot potato for reasons unfounded. This not only make a mockery of the good governance epithet the government famously cling onto, but also put the future of the child protection in this country in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

Courtesy:The Island<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Dr.Prasanna Cooray Shivers were sent down the spines of the good governance aspirants when President Maithripala Sirisena, in most unwelcome manner, removed Sajeeva Samaranayake, Deputy Chairman National Child Protection Authority (NCPA). It is understood that no reason has been cited for his removal in the letter of expulsion. The NCPA comes under the Ministry …<\/p>\n

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