Protection
Domestic violence against children, sexual and otherwise, remains a largely unreported crime in Sri Lanka. The country’s judicial system is not adequately equipped to provide the special protections children require; and the socioeconomic consequences of 23 years of conflict also fall most heavily on children, thousands of whom have been recruited into military groups. Additionally, children in the coastal areas of Sri Lanka have been deeply affected by the December 2004 tsunami. An estimated 5,000 children lost one or both parents, and countless more lost relatives, friends and teachers or other care-givers. UNICEF’s Protection programme aims to contribute to the reduction of child abuse and exploitation, and to eliminate gender and family-based violence and the exploitation of women. It also works to protect and support the realization of rights of children and women most affected by armed conflict and to mitigate the effects of conflict on all children and women.
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