19

Education on Child Rights in Sri LankaJANODAYA SAJEEWANA KENDRAYA

Until recently, work on human rights in Sri Lanka was confined to a fewintellectuals and the legal community in Colombo. It was completely newin rural society. The grass-roots were unaware of human rights. Protests

and demonstrations against violations of human rights were only remedial mea-sures, not preventive steps. Believing in a positive approach to this issue, grass-root human rights education programs started to teach target groups about howhuman rights affect society, how they are violated, and what remedies are avail-able to prevent violations.

Janodaya Sajeewana Kendraya (JSK, Animat-ing Centre for Awakening the People) is at theforefront of human rights education. A regis-tered non-governmental organization, it orga-nizes grass-root communities and strengthensthem to free themselves from all forms of so-cial, economic, political, spiritual, and culturaloppression. JSK has the following objectives:

• Promote self-help activities to reduce pov-erty and improve the access of target fami-lies to state services.

• Develop institutions and strengthen com-munity-based and people’s organizations.

• Establish networks with other organiza-tions engaged in development activities.

• Provide training, technical assistance,consultancy, and other services to urbanand rural men and women to equip themwith skills in undertaking income-gener-ating ventures.

Community Organizing

JSK started to work among 1,200 low-incomesquatter families in the Muthurajawela, a marshywetland between Colombo and Negombo, alarge coastal town on the west coast. With anarea of 3,100 hectares, most of it was state prop-erty and unoccupied.

JSK championed the cause of these settlers,prevented their eviction, and organized theminto the Muthurajawela United People’s Organi-sation (MUPO). It has become well-organizedand well-disciplined, and a replicable model forgrass-root organizations.

JSK extended its animation program to otherareas. New people’s organizations were startedon the MUPO model. Besides MUPO, severalpeople’s organizations work as JSK’s partners:Jaela United People’s Organisation (JUPO,1996), Gampaha United People’s Organization(GAMUPO, 1997), and Kadawatha UnitedPeople’ Organization (KADUPO, 1997).

Composed of base groups of mainly womenrepresenting their families, they have commonprograms for mini banks, consumers, social se-curity, income generation, children, libraries,health, and culture.

The most important is the consumer pro-gram, which strengthens community groups toovercome the rising cost of living by distribut-ing essential consumer goods at a very low price.

In 1996, JSK created the Human Rights Com-munity Education Centre. It was inspired by theUnited Nations Decade for Human Rights Edu-cation (1995–2004) and works in conjunctionwith the Centre for the Study of Human Rights(CSHR) of University of Colombo to educate

20 • HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

the rural community on human rights. The cen-ter also conducts the following programs:

The Youth Program was introduced to at-tract school leavers to get involved in humanrights activities. Issues taken up under this pro-gram included discussions on:

• challenges faced by the youth and how toovercome them,

• issues arising from consumption of liquorand drugs and how to overcome them,

• law and peace, and• responsibilities of the youth.

The Students Program was conducted to cre-ate awareness among the students about hu-man rights and achieve peace in schools as allstudents learn to respect each other’s rights.

The Children and Child Abuse Programraises awareness of child rights among adults.Activities were organized along with sexualhealth programs to counter increasing incidenceof child abuse, gross violations of child rights,and exploitation of child labor.

Children lack legislative protection againstviolence and abuse. They become victims dueto poverty and ignorance of their own rights.They are lured into offering sex for money.

To carry out human rights education inschools, JSK prepared a two-year school edu-cation project (August 1998 to July 2000). TheCanadian International Development Agency(CIDA) approved the funds for the project inselected schools in Gampaha, in the WesternProvince of Sri Lanka.

CIDA Project

The project was comprised of the following:The Legal Education Course provides skills

to enable people to access and communicatewith the relevant authorities.

The Training Program on Human Rightsseeks to promote a human rights culture amongstudents and develop school leaders so that stu-dents would begin to understand how theycould protect themselves.

Ten students from five schools at a time weretrained. The training was repeated in five otherschools every six weeks. Follow-up programswere arranged with students to promote hu-man rights awareness in school activities, includ-ing celebration of Human Rights Day, postercompetitions, essay competitions, etc.

Workshops were held on human rights andother issues (elections, child labor, free tradezone workers, labor regulations, etc.).

Content of the school programs included thefollowing:

• Child rights. Why children have rights tocompulsory basic education, basic healthcare, and parental protection.

• Media education. How to be free frommedia indoctrination.

• Child abuse. What is it, and how can chil-dren protect themselves.

These programs were carried out in schoolsin the four educational regions of Gampaha—Negombo, Gampaha, Kelaniya, and Minuwan-goda. They were conducted once in twomonths for 50 students from five schools.These students carried out their own programsfor parents and elders and talked of child rightsat weekly school assemblies.

In two years, the JSK school education projectwas carried out in 65 schools:

Educational No. of Schools No. of ParticipantsRegion Students Teachers

Gampaha 10 100 10Minuwangoda 10 100 10Negombo 20 200 20Kelaniya 25 250 25Total 65 650 65

One-day human rights education sessionswere conducted in a centrally situated schoolfor five schools at a time, repeated in other ar-eas at the end of every six weeks, for students14 years and above (Year 8–Year 11).

There are 555 schools in the Gampaha dis-trict administered at the district level, and five

Education on Child Rights in Sri Lanka • 21

national schools directly administered by thecentral government. The regional directors ofthe four educational regions welcomed theJSK’s school-based human rights program.Some school principals were not very encour-aging and showed little interest, but studentsand teachers said the program suited them.

After the JSK awareness program on humanrights, forums on child rights awareness wereformed in schools. Students spoke on humanrights at the weekly student assemblies. Someschool forums organized awareness programsand workshops for fellow students on drugs andchild abuse. School principals allowed studentsto hold follow-up meetings. Some principals evenparticipated, thus encouraging these activities.

Materials used in the programs included thefollowing:

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights;• Convention on the Rights of the Child;• International Labour Organization docu-

ments;• Manual of Child Protection Authority re-

garding child abuse;• Human Rights Education Kit for Sri Lankan

Trainers published by the Asia Foundation;• Human Rights Initiative, Human Rights,

Duties and Democracy published by AsiaFoundation; and

• Human Rights Education Kit for SriLankan Schools published by the CSHR,University of Colombo.

Topics covered by the program are the following:• importance of studying human rights,• economic rights,• today’s child—challenges and remedies,• laws relating to children,• religion and human rights,• child workers and child domestic workers,• reconciliation board (functions),• functions of the divisional secretariat,• laws relating to births and marriages,• child abuse, and• media and how to be free from media in-

doctrination.

Commitment to the promotion of childrights demands not only good intentions andfine declarations but also full association withthose who are struggling to develop a cultureof human rights. With this goal, JSK embarkedon its school program on human rights withspecial attention to child rights.

JSK thus helped create a culture of human rightsamong school children. JSK developed studentleaders so that they would begin to understandhow they could protect themselves from childrights violations using a positive approach.

Social Impact

JSK not only created awareness among childrenabout their own rights, but also delivered themessage to the community through the schoolchildren. Parents and society have now startedreacting to child rights violations. Complaints tothe police have increased and many cases of childabuse have been filed in the magistrate courts.

Students and teachers had received the sametraining and followed the same awareness pro-grams. Although JSK is successful, it has a prob-lem of program continuity as the studentsgraduate. JSK has no funds to continue thetraining program beyond the donor-assistedtwo-year period, which ended in July 2000.

With CIDA’s assistance, JSK has brought themessage of human rights to remote villages andschools. However, human rights education pro-grams in schools need more organizing at theupper levels. Groups are guided by selected teach-ers. Students’ knowledge must be enhanced andmore leaders must be trained. New membershave to be recruited in order not to disrupt groupformation. Teachers without human rights train-ing find it difficult to train new students and tocontinue the school programs. The teachersthemselves ask for advance training.

School groups need field experience. Theymust go on rural fact-finding missions and con-duct rural environment and human rights stud-ies. These field experiences will be vital in follow-up programs.

22 • HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Training programs must be expanded to covernew areas. School libraries must be providedbooks on human rights, and special sessions mustbe held to evaluate and assess the findings of theoutdoor activities of school groups.

Human rights have been introduced recentlyinto the school curriculum. The zone directorsof education have formally approved the hu-man rights education program in schools, andprincipals do not interfere. However, the zonedirectors, principals, and teachers have no ba-sic knowledge or understanding of humanrights. JSK has thus prepared follow-up pro-grams to brief them through workshops andawareness programs.

Follow-up Programs

Program 1: Workshops

The workshop for the six zone directors andthe principals and teachers of selected schoolsin Gampaha seeks to raise awareness on theimportance of education for peace, humanrights, and democracy as endorsed and advo-cated by the General Conference of UnitedNations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO).

Even though zone directors allow humanrights education programs in schools, princi-pals lack an understanding of them and are re-luctant to form school groups. The groups thatJSK formed are very active, but they need legalrecognition. This proposed workshop aims todevelop strong communication and hierarchi-cal links with the state educational authoritiesof Gampaha.

Workshop participants will have the oppor-tunity to comment and to recommend someimprovements on the educational programsproposed for the schools. JSK would be able togain the required legitimacy within the educa-tional community, which would finally lead toacquiring the official mandate from the stateeducational authorities to implement the pro-gram with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Program 2: Training of trainers in human rightseducation in Gampaha district schools

Since there is no program to train teachers ashuman rights trainers, JSK is compelled to starttraining-of-trainers programs to ensure the con-tinuity of the students’ school forums. Theseprograms will be organized and conducted inclose collaboration with the CSHR of the Uni-versity of Colombo. JSK belongs to the networkof human rights organizations sponsored bythis center. Four JSK staff members have beentrained as trainers by the Legal Aid Consortiumof Sri Lanka. Through this program, JSK hopesto train teachers to improve the capability ofschool groups to continue by themselves thehuman rights education work.

Program 3: Fieldwork

This program aims to help students gain fieldexperience in environmental rights, child rights,child development, development and humanrights, and democracy and human rights. Inpast programs, students received only theoreti-cal knowledge of human rights. Students needpractical programs to enhance their school ac-tivities and to understand the link betweentheory and practice of human rights.

Conclusion

JSK has successfully carried out a well-plannedtwo-year work program on human rights withCIDA funds. This is meant to be an ongoingprogram with broad-based new activities totrain students in school. Results are positive andencouraging, but JSK lacks funds to implementthe proposed follow-up work program. JSKlooks forward to a donor to help carry out thesecond phase of the proposed program andcomplete the human rights education programsin schools.