We have met them on the streets. Children as young as five and six. Nobody cares for them. They sleep on pavements. They eat left overs. They spend their day doing odd jobs. It seems their numbers are increasing day by day. Street children have become a major social problem in Sri Lanka.
Several factor prevailing in our country have contributed to the increasing number of street children in Sri Lanka. Unemployment, parental death and illness are some of the reasons. The war situation in some parts of the country has resulted in families moving to city without fixed abodes. So, children neglect, school dropouts and run away children have become a regular pattern in many homes, especially among the most disadvantaged communities.
Most of these children are used to transport and sell drugs. Some children work in shops. Some others clean and wash vegetables for vegetable vendors. There are street children who push carts and scavenge. By doing this odd jobs they earn few rupees. they never sleep on beds. They never go to schools. They are deprived of the opportunities to enjoy the right of childhood.
So, the state should take immediate steps to get rid of these street children. We should work to ensure their rights. The department of probation and child care also work for the benefit of the children. We as citizens should help the state. And the state should impose severe laws to arrest people who employ children.
