Early Childhood
The battle for survival begins as early as when a child is conceived. In Sri Lanka, one out of five children is born with low birth weight and nearly one-third of children under-5 years are underweight. This is a result of inadequate weight-gain during pregnancy, anaemia and maternal under-nutrition. Although the incidence of infants receiving medical care has increased, the facilities at many clinics and hospitals are inadequate. While child mortality figures have steadily improved, malnutrition among children continues to be a major health problem. Nearly 24 per cent of children under 5 years, and 55 per cent in the 6-10 age group, are anaemic. Iodine deficiency is also prevalent in certain areas and can adversely affect the child’s physical and mental development. About one-third of households have no access to sanitation and about one-quarter have no access to safe drinking water, making Sri Lanka one of the worst served countries for water and sanitation in the region Morbidity and mortality are also high among children living on tea plantations - in the state’s ‘estate’ sector - in urban slums, in migrant families, and on the streets. There are a sizeable number of children of migrant families who are often unsupervised and fall prey to anti-social elements in society, and are at risk of participating in violence and alcohol and drug abuse. Starved of adequate protection and care by appropriate caregivers, some of these children become victims of physical and sexual abuse.
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