Section One - Version Presented at the Meeting

World Summit for Children

Follow-up to the

World Summit for Children

Sri Lanka Report

Report of the Government of Sri Lanka to the

United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children, 2001

2000

World Summit for Children

Executive Summary

The World Summit for Children

Sri Lanka having participated at the World Summit for Children and ratified the Convention on the

Rights of the Child took action to achieve for her children the Summit’s goals despite the looming

problems of a protracted armed conflict.

Sri Lanka has succeeded remarkably well in reaching or nearly reaching many of the goals. These relate to controlling childhood diseases, and thereby reducing infant and child mortality to low levels, promoting access to basic education, and catalysing action to protect children from abuse. Some of these achievements are reflected in the following outcomes.

Achievements

Low infant and child mortality of 16, and 19 per 1000 live births.
Low maternal mortality.
Polio free status since 1994.
Measles cases reduced to about 5 percent of pre-immunization period (except for an outbreak in 1999).
Deaths from neonatal tetanus reduced to less than one per 1000.
Low case fatality from diarrheoa, malaria and acute respiratory infections.
Over 95 percent of primary school age children enrolled in school.
Over 95 percent of children complete primary school.
Slow but steady improvent in nutrition status.
Improved access to sanitation although coverage is not yet universal.
Over 80 percent use of iodized salt.
Over 95 percent of pregnant women receiving trained obstetric care.
Child protection issues such as child labour, sexual abuse, corporal punishment, child soldiers, and gender-based violence are widely recognised as violations of children’s rights.

Challenges

Despite this progress, some of the goals remain challenging.

Some 8000 children under five years still die annually, many of them under one year and nearly 70 percent infants die in the neonatal period.
About 30 to 40 percent of children of secondary school age are out of school.
Malnutrition persists with one third of children under-five years being under weight. Micronutrient deficiencies, especially vitamin A and iron defining persist.
Nearly 80 percent of children completing five years of school do not reach mastery in literacy, numeracy and life skills.
HIV/AIDS although considered “low prevalence” in the country poses a new threat.
Malaria remains endemic in more than one third of the country and disease burden from acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea remains high although case fatality is low.
An 18 year protracted war continues causing loss of life, displacement, disruption of services, distress, and trauma to the whole country, but mostly to 2.5 million people at least a third of whom are children, living in the north and east of the country.
Despite good macroeconomic management poverty remains hard to crack and wide disparities exist intricately linked to human development. International aid, while significant, has been less than the promised 20 percent and is likely to decline further.

Actions

The remarkable achievements in realising children’s rights to survival, access to basic education and protection is the cumulative outcome of a long-standing commitment to social welfare. These services were expanded and strengthened during the decade. Low-cost interventions were introduced particularly to maternal and child’s health services.

Existence of a wide network of infrastructure for service delivery especially in primary health care and primary education enabled services to continue to reach a wide cross-section of children and women even though budgetary allocations could not be increased substantially.

The non-governmental organisations, media and other civil society organisations played an active role in promoting child rights. This was particularly significant in protection issues, and providing basic services to children and families affected by the armed conflict.

Government reviewed plans and programmes and modified their goals, targets and strategies to promote well being of children. The National Plan of Action was guiding and catalytic in this process. Several very significant amendments were made to legislation bringing in greater conformity with CRC.

International assistance from bilateral donors though less than promised 20 percent was catalytic. UN agencies contribution through their respective programmes of cooperation added substantially to the country’s efforts.

Future direction

The future direction should have a major focus on holistic early child development. Access to quality basic education must be improved. Opportunities for vocational training and acquiring life skills must be improved for both boys and girls. Adolescents must be prepared for responsible adulthood. Opportunities must be created for all children, consistent with their evolving capacities to participate in creating an environment they would be safe, learn and develop physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively. While efforts continue to restore peace and normalcy, preparations must be made for quick and effective restoration of basic services to the children affected by the armed conflict. Support for psychosocial recovery and social reintegration for children and their families is a key element in this process. To achieve these, capacities must be developed at all levels: families, communities, sub-national administration, and central government.

World Summit for Children

A.Introduction and Background

This report summarises the progress that Sri Lanka has made towards the Goals of World Summit for Children. It is structured, as specified in the guidelines for its preparation, into four sections. Section A describes Sri Lanka’s participation in the World Summit for Children, and mid-decade review and reporting on the CRC. Sections B and C describe the process adopted for reviewing the progress at the end-decade, and the actions taken at national and international levels. Section D summarises progress and constraints under each of the ten actions in the Global Plan of Action adopted at the World Summit for Children. The progress made towards World Summit Goals in terms of indicators under each of the 27 goals is given in Annex B, and illustrated graphically in Annex A.

Sri Lanka’s participation in the World Summit for Children

The Sri Lanka delegation to the World Summit for Children in 1990, led by Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, pledged its unequivocal support for achieving the goals that the summit set for children. In April 1991, the President of Sri Lanka signed the Declaration and the Global Plan of Action for Children adopted by the Summit.

Soon thereafter, the government followed preparing a National Plan of Action for Children. A Cabinet Sub-Committee chaired by the Prime Minister developed a National Plan of Action for Children (NPA) by October 1991, setting out quantitative targets for the World Summit Goals as relevant to Sri Lanka. The NPA facilitated the sectoral institutions to include and accelerate actions specifically designed to achieve the World Summit Goals.

Mid-decade review

In 1995, the Government in collaboration with UNICEF, reviewed the progress Sri Lanka had made in reaching the mid-decade milestones of the World Summit Goals. Out of the 13 milestones, Sri Lanka had achieved seven. These include immunization coverage of 80 percent with each of the six antigens, elimination of neonatal tetanus, reduction of morbidity and mortality in measles, increased access to sanitation, 80 percent completion of primary education by both girls and boys, and ratification of CRC. A major challenge was reduction of malnutrition on which all indicators - stunting (17 percent), wasting (16 percent) and underweight (33 percent) - remained above the national targets of 22, 10, and 30 percent respectively. Several other malnutrition related goals adequate consumption of vitamin A rich foods, universal consumption of iodized salt, and access to safe drinking water and sanitation seemed achievable but with much effort.

The review noted that the processes of implementing and monitoring the National Plan of Action needed strengthening. While information on the situation in the conflict-affected areas in the North - East Province was scanty, evidence pointed to conditions below the national levels. For the country as a whole the long standing armed conflict was imposing severe constraints on the national efforts to realise children’s and women’s rights.

Reporting on CRC

In accordance with article 44 of the CRC, Sri Lanka submitted its first report on implementation of the CRC to the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 1994 and the second in 1999. The Monitoring Committee in its concluding observations appreciated the establishment of a National Committee for Monitoring of the Rights of the Child and the existence of a dialogue between the State party and the NGOs, particularly the NGO forum. The Committee welcomed the consideration for possible amendment of laws relating to child abuse, child labour and juvenile justice, to ensure their compatibility with the CRC. The Committee noted the need for removal of a number of factors impeding the implementation of

CRC. These included insufficient allocation of resources for protection of children, non-binding nature of the CRC and the Charter, lack of integrated mechanisms to monitor the situation of children, disparities concerning the three laws, which establish different minimum ages for marriage, prevalence of child abuse including corporal punishment, regulation of national adoptions, high rates of suicide, situation of displaced children, discrepancy of education facilities and insufficiency of pre-schools, juvenile justice procedures, working children, and children affected by the armed conflict.

The second country report included the actions taken in response to the Monitoring Committee’s recommendations. Significant among these are the amendments to the Penal Code and the Codes of Criminal Procedures and Jurisdiction which eliminated discrepancies and provided for further protection of children.

B. Process Established for the End-Decade Review

Process of end-decade review

Review of progress towards goals set for the decade of 1990s by the World Summit for Children, commenced early in the year 2000 with the setting up of a Steering Committee chaired by the Director General of External Resources. The committee comprised of secretaries to ministries, heads of agencies and representatives of child related institutions and civil society organisations.

Three working groups were appointed to review progress within the broad areas of survival, development, and protection and participation. The research institute, Marga was selected to draft the report in consultation with the working groups. A deputy director of the Department of Census and Statistics was responsible for compiling the Annex on indicators. The draft reports prepared by Marga were reviewed by working group members and others including international NGOs, and national NGOs. Children participated in the review process through an initiative of the Ministry of Education, where the Children’s Parliament will debate two main problems of education: non-participation among the disadvantaged, and the poor quality of education.

Principal sources of information

The review was informed largely by the surveys and studies conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics during the decade of 1990s. The major source for updating the situation in 2000 is the Demographic and Health Survey. The Department of Census and Statistics extended the coverage of this survey to the conflict areas at the request of UNICEF, making it the first survey in over two decades to cover the whole country. Although due to the unsettled conditions in the affected areas, the methodologies and timing differed somewhat, the survey has yielded reasonably robust estimates.

Provisional results for areas other than the North and East are given in the Annex A to this Report. The results for conflict affected areas are being currently prepared to be submitted in an update.

The review drew on many other regular data systems, which were strengthened during the decade. Surveillance systems and epidemiological statistics of the Ministry of Health provided data on immunization coverage and disease prevalence. The Registrar General’s Department provided data on infant, child and maternal mortality. Surveys, studies and school census of the Ministry of Education provided data on education related goals.

C.National and International Actions

National level action

National plans and programmes

The NPA played a catalytic role in focusing actions to achieve World Summit Goals in sectoral plans, and it guided resource allocation, particularly in the health sector in the subnational level. The Government in the course of the decade, examined the national plans and policies in health, nutrition, education and other services. Presidential task forces were appointed to recommend and initiate reforms in both health and education. The health care services for mothers and children were further expanded and improved. A National Technical Committee on Nutrition which was established in 1993 co-ordinated and directed the preparation of the National Nutrition Plan.

Legal systems including the Penal and Criminal Procedure Codes were reviewed and amended to bring greater conformity with the CRC and CEDAW. The Central Environmental Authority and NGO community paid attention to environmental protection responding to the priorities identified in the UN Agenda 21, with focus on child-related and community-based activities.

Despite escalating defence expenditures, the Government maintained expenditures on social sectors in the range of 12 to 16 percent of GDP. Expenditure as a share of GDP on education has been between 2.5 to 3 percent and on health 1.4 to 1.8 percent. Despite relatively low allocation outreach of services was extensive, except in conflict affected and other very disadvantaged area. This was possible because of already established infrastructure and low-cost service delivery and practices.

Natural and man-made disasters

The country has always been able to respond promptly to occasional natural disasters. The major disaster – the armed conflict – has been a major concern. The Government has taken all possible actions, which prevailing conditions permit, to maintain basic services, food supplies and emergency assistance to the children and their families.

Improvement of data collection mechanism

Data collection, and analysis to monitor social indicators relating to child rights were improved significantly. The Registrar General’s Department was strengthened to process vital statistics and to publish infant, child, and maternal mortality on a priority basis. The Ministry of Education improved its school census procedures and for the first time published comprehensive statistical data from the annual censuses. It set up a geographic information system linking school and pupil characteristics to location of schools. Ministry of Health has undertaken a series of surveys and studies on micro nutrient deficiencies, which led to recognition of vitamin A deficiency as a public health problem and to the formulation of national policies. The Ministry continued its very effective surveillance system on polio and other immunizable diseases. The Department of Census and Statistics has included child related issues in their surveys. Significant initiatives include a child activity survey conducted with assistance from ILO, a survey on mid-decade goals, two rounds of Demographic and Health Surveys in 1993 and 2000, the latter extending to the conflict areas.

Information systems have been established and are operational at various stages in the National Child Protection Authority, Center for Women’s Research and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. Setting up a common socio-economic data base is under consideration in the UNDAF process.

International level action

The programmes and projects under the National Plan of Action attracted significant assistance from UN agencies, the World Bank, ADB and bilateral donors. During the period 1990-1996 total donor assistance to the social sector has been close to 10 percent of government expenditure. The proportion of donor assistance in education was approximately 8 percent of government expenditure and in health about 5 percent. Nearly 50 percent of the total investment in water and sanitation during 1990-1999 was donor financed. Although these were small proportions of the total government expenditure they were

directed to key projects which had a catalytic effect in improving the systems and increasing their

capacities. This was equally true of the technical assistance that the government received from UN agencies such as UNICEF and WHO.

UN agencies and the International Committee on Red Cross played an important role in addressing the needs of internally displaced persons. They assisted the Government in maintaining essential supplies of food, medicine and basic services to areas, which are under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). International NGOs such as Save the Children Alliance of UK and Norway were and continue to be engaged in reconstruction, and rehabilitation in the conflict affected areas.

The Second SAARC Conference on Children in 1992, hosted by Sri Lanka brought the progressive elimination of child labour to the regional agenda. At the Third SAARC Conference on Children held in Pakistan in 1996, the Government of Sri Lanka was instrumental in establishing time-bound goals for elimination of all forms of child labour from the region.

D. Specific Actions for Child Survival, Protection and Development

The Plan of Action for Implementing the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children in the 1990s, called for ten specific actions to improve the quality of life of children within the context of the overall goals. A brief assessment of progress achieved, constraints faced with respect to each of the ten actions, and lessons learned are outlined below.