Buddhism has been a part of Sri Lanka’s culture for centuries and the ordination of young boys as novice monks is a well established tradition. It is a practice that is meant to instill discipline, self-control and religious values in the younger generation. However, recent incidents of abuse and mistreatment of young monks have brought the issue to the forefront. These incidents have revealed a systemic problem in the power dynamics of the monastic community where senior monks wield their authority to take advantage of younger and more vulnerable monks.

The abuse and mistreatment of young monks is a cause for concern and it requires urgent attention. The incidents that have come to light in recent years are disturbing and unacceptable. They range from physical abuse to sexual assault and they all highlight the vulnerability of young monks who are placed in the care of senior monks. The abuse has left a deep scar on the lives of these young boys and it has shattered their trust in the monastic community, which is supposed to be a safe haven for them.

Last week Chairman of National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), Udayakumara Amarasinghe, said it was the responsibility of the clergy to take measures within temples to prevent the abuse of novice monks. He said the NCPA had taken steps against offenders accused of abusing novice monks in temples and instructed the police to take further action when criminal offences were reported.

The abuse of young monks goes against the core teachings of Buddhism, which emphasizes compassion, kindness and respect for all living beings. It is a betrayal of the trust that the community places in its monks and a violation of the basic human rights of the young boys who are victimized.

One incident occurred on April 23 where an eight year old novice monk at a temple in Pussellawa was admitted to the Gampola hospital with severe injuries. The young monk alleged that three senior monks had brutally assaulted him as he failed to recite sermons properly and that they continue to beat him when the chief incumbent is not at the temple. According to the police, a statement had been recorded from the chief incumbent but no arrests have been made.

On April 25 a 14 year old novice monk at the Moragammana Mayurapada Rajamaha Viharaya was allegedly sexually abused while at the temple. According to the police media division, the monk was abused about two months ago by two monks who had visited the temple. The novice monk is currently receiving treatment under the supervision of the police. He had been subjected to grave sexual abuse on two occasions.

These are some other incidents of abuse that occurred this year:

On January 11 the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) began an investigation into a monk accused of sexually abusing a 13 year-old child who was being cared for at a child development center in Kadawatha.

On January 13 Kelaniye Sudhamma Thero of Ranmuthugala, Kadawatha Viharaya, was arrested on the charge of abusing the children of Ranmuthugala Orphanage.

On January 24, a monk was granted bail after being arrested for severe physical abuse inflicted on a 12 year-old child in Beruwala.

On February 17 an old monk was arrested for sexually abusing an 8 year-old girl child in Anamaduwa.

On March 1 an 8 year-old child was sexually abused by a 70 year-old monk for over two months in Hettipola.

On March 2 a monk had assaulted a 13 year-old boy using a knife causing severe injuries to his leg in Pitigala.

On March 30 a monk assaulted a 16 year-old child for making fun of him in Wellawaya.

Monks are seen as religious leaders and are expected to uphold certain moral values. However, the power dynamics in the monastic community allows some monks to abuse their authority and take advantage of the younger monks. This abuse of power is not limited to sexual abuse but also includes physical and verbal abuse, which has long lasting psychological effects on the victims.

The abuse of young Buddhist monks takes place despite the existence of several institutions and mechanisms established to prevent and tackle such atrocities and ensure the welfare and protection of children. These include the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, The Ministry of Religious and Cultural Affairs, the National Child Protection Authority and the Police Children and Women Bureau.

It is clear that these mechanisms are not functioning effectively. The power dynamics within religious institutions and the fear of speaking out against senior monks contribute to the problem while political interference and lack of proper monitoring mechanisms within religious institutions exacerbate the problem.

It is imperative that a proper monitoring mechanism is established for all religious institutions without any political interference to ensure that perpetrators of abuse are identified and brought to justice. The safety and protection of vulnerable individuals, particularly children, is of utmost importance and should not be compromised for any reason. It is the responsibility of every member of society to raise their voices against such atrocities and work towards a safer and more just future for all.

Unfortunately, this issue has long been considered a taboo topic because it involves monks. Therefore, it is imperative that society openly addresses these issues without fear or hesitation. The authorities must take stringent action against the abusers regardless of their position or authority and enforce the law to protect the victims and ensure justice is served.

It is also important for parents and caregivers to be vigilant and aware of the risks that young boys face when they enter the monastic community. They must take steps to ensure their children are safe and not subjected to abuse. They should also encourage their children to report any abuse, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. This can help prevent abuse and hold the abusers accountable.

In a letter to the Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, the Child Protection Alliance (CPA) charged that the ministry had not taken steps to hold institutions accountable for failing to protect children and that religious institutions have failed to take steps to address systemic child abuse, including de-robing and expelling monks and priests charged with child abuse.

The CPA requested the minister to refrain from providing political protection to the accused and empower the police to arrest monks and implement legal procedures; acknowledge the global principle of “in the best interest of the child” and identify a minimum age to ordain children; prepare a policy jointly by CPA and the Social Services Department to regularize religious institutions before children are handed over; monitor the welfare of all monks below age of 18 years at least every six months; provide compulsory training on child rights and protection to all religious institutions, including responsibilities as guardians who are substituting as parents; and appoint an independent commission to investigate cases of child abuse in religious institutions in the past and present.

Source:Groundviews

India has extended a $1 billion credit line for Sri Lanka by one year, a Sri Lankan official told Reuters on Tuesday, giving the crisis-hit country a backup funds to pay for essential imports.

The credit line, part of about $4 billion in emergency assistance extended by India during the peak of Sri Lanka’s financial crisis early last year, was scheduled to end in March.

Post-negotiations, the credit line was extended until March 2024, said Sri Lanka’s Deputy Treasury Secretary Priyantha Rathnayake.

“There is about $350 million left of the credit line that can be utilised as needed,” he said.

“However, given the increase of foreign exchange availability in the market, the need is not as keen as it was last year.”

Reuters reported in March that Sri Lanka was negotiating with India to extend the facility, used so far mainly for medicines and food.

Sri Lanka’s reserves dropped to record lows in April last year, triggering its worst financial crisis since independence from British colonial rule in 1948. The island, off India’s southern coast, spent months struggling to pay for essential imports such as fuel, cooking gas and medicine and defaulted on its foreign debt.

The situation has now improved with Sri Lanka finalising a nearly $3 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund in March and kicking off debt restructuring talks with key bilateral creditors India, Japan and China.

Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves hit $2.7 billion at the end of last month.

The coordination committee meeting between the TNA alliance parties of TELO,PLOTE,EPRLF,TPLK and Ex Militant party was held Saturday( 6-05-23)evening at Tilco Private Guest House in Jaffna.

In this meeting, the party’s constitution and district level activities were discussed

In addition, they said that the members of Parliament of Eastern Province should also be invited in the upcoming discussions on 11th, 12th and 13th, and if they are not invited, they will not participate in the talks.

This discussion is scheduled to be held focusing on resolving the ‘ethnic problem’ in the country and decentralising power.

The World Bank has warned Sri Lanka of possible worsening of poverty if the crisis-hit island nation fails to address the needs of vulnerable groups when it implements painful adjustments in line with reforms for a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan.

According to the World Bank report, poverty has already doubled last year with higher inflation and rising unemployment.

“The negative economic outlook for 2023 and 2024 and adverse effects of revenue-mobilizing reforms could worsen poverty projections,” the World Bank said in the latest report on Sri Lanka’s poverty situation released last month.

“Mitigating these negative effects on the poor and vulnerable will remain critical during the adjustment. At the same time, a recovery and expansion of wage employment in the services and industry sectors will be key to shift employment from lower-paying agricultural jobs and make a dent on poverty.”

The multilateral lending agency also said rising inequality is also a concern while poverty in Urban areas has tripled and rural areas doubled.

“Poverty is projected to remain above 25 percent in the next few years due to the multiple risks to households’ livelihoods,” it said.

The increase in poverty comes after the island nation declared an unprecedented sovereign debt default in April last year following two years of Covid-19 controls. The default cut off the island nation’s access to all external fundings and hit its external trade.

Nearly 13 people out of 100 have been under the poverty line in 2020, increasing from 12 in the previous year. The number rose to 13 in 2021 and almost doubled to 25 last year, the World Bank report said.

“This increase has added an additional 2.5 million people into poverty in 2022.”

It said many households were impacted from different fronts as prices rose by 46 percent last year, jobs in services and industry contracted, pushing workers to lower-paying agricultural jobs. The decline in remittances also had hit the income level.

The income from agriculture also contracted due to an overnight ban on chemical fertilizers by the former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2021. The move, among many others, also led to mass public protests that led to ousting Rajapaksa.

The world bank data indicated that households experiencing food insecurity are reducing their spending on health and education, a move that could result in poor human resources in the future.

The rise in food insecurity has also led to increases in malnutrition and stunting – up from 7.4 percent in 2021 to 9.4 percent in 2022, the report said.

According to the Central bank data, the updated national poverty line for Sri Lanka surged to 13,777 rupees in 2022, registering an annual increase of 74 percent.

A World Food Program survey has revealed 85 percent of the population was estimated to be relying on livelihood based coping strategies, such as borrowing money, reducing spending on education and health, spending savings, or deferring due debt payments.