The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration
Minister Harshana Nanayakkara called for stronger gatekeeping in child protection, arguing that admission to orphanages should be properly assessed by probation officers and used only as a last resort, particularly where poverty is the main reason. He urged funding for supervision, transport and victim support, and emphasized zero tolerance for violence against children, family-based alternative care, reunification, adolescent mental health services, drug rehabilitation and vocational training for convicted youth. He welcomed the allocations for child protection and welfare and said amendments to the outdated Children and Young Persons Ordinance, 1939, would be expedited.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Thank you, Madam Deputy Chairperson.
¶ 02 We must establish a robust gatekeeping mechanism for orphanages. Probation officers should assess why a child is being admitted; poverty‑driven admissions without supervision must be curtailed. Institutionalization should be the last resort. Please focus on this.
¶ 03 We need zero tolerance on violence against children and invest in capacity‑building and professional supervision. Hon. Minister, consider additional transport costs for probation officers and victim support, as their supervision is vital to deliver justice.
¶ 04 At every stage, gatekeeping must operate; allocate funds for it. Focus on reunification and alternative care policies; the NCPA has discussed separate alternative care programmes. Explore family‑based care options and converting some institutions accordingly. Allocate for adolescent mental health, drug rehabilitation, and vocational training for convicted youth to support reintegration.
¶ 05 I thank the Hon. Minister because the Votes allocate proper funds for child protection and child welfare. This is what can be done in the next eight months; more will follow. We will also amend the outdated Children and Young Persons Ordinance, 1939; I will expedite that process.
¶ 06 Thank you, Madam Deputy Chairperson.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Saturday, 8 March 2025 ·No. 1743142289059261 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 8 March 2025. No. 1743142289059261. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/8244