Children In Search of Light

Children

  In Search of Light

Children are

-          the buts that appear now with the hope of blooming and spreading their fragrance in future

-          the seedlings that grow and spread out into branches with an intention to protect the welfare of the society

-          the pillars that have to be carefully erected to support the future society

Children are so sweet. Their characters are different like different fragrance each flower has, yet are loved by everyone. We are attracted by their love, their activeness, their playfulness, their sense of companionship and by their curiosity of exploring. Children’s world is delightful in nature. Joy, merriment and laughter are the main qualities they possess. They passionately love others and expect the same in return.

The creators of our future innovations and the leaders of the future society are to emerge from among these children. In keeping with the maxim that “man is not born but made” several methods are adopted in the western society to bring up their children without ruining their feelings.

But in this soil…..

Children are the direct victims of systematic forms of repression unleashed by the Sinhala chauvinistic government. Ethnic oppressive measures have not only taken the lives of our children and maimed their limbs but have severely affected their psychological well being.

Look at this Child…

Children’s world is usually full of joy. They enjoy lighting crackers at festivals. But the experience of numerous bomb blasts and shelling has severely deprived this boy from enjoying the sound of crackers even at Christmas. or Pongal

Is there any mother who doesn’t feed her child without showing the moon? Or is there any child who doesn’t derive pleasure in seeing this moon? But,   because he was one among the crowd who were scattered squealing with horror, when the army dropped Para lights during the massive displacement, this innocent boy is still unable to get out of that experience of horror which the moonlight reminds him of and he is afraid to look up at the moon thereafter.

Whenever this boy hears the sound of this vehicle that reminds him of the helicopter, he speeds away and takes refuge in his mother’s lap. There are so many a sign of distress among the children

(Interview with Doctor)

Displacement…

the super power missile that severely affects the human minds especially on women and children. When flocks of birds are brutally uprooted and forced to flee from their nests, the most affected are the young ones. Displacement has the profound physical, emotional and developmental impact on children that increases their vulnerability. Do they know the economic blockade and cutting off of the food ration? Or does this innocent know his father who lost his hands and the mother tired of begging for their meals. Their biggest need of course food for their hunger and a lap for their comfort. This is the stage where they eagerly seek for love and affection at every moment. This mother is busy otherwise unable to enjoy the fun and frolics of her child. This baby has lost its mother and needs to be soothed.

This is the next stage where the child’s interest to know about the mystery of new world starts. This also the stage where a child doesn’t want to give up the affection of its mother and at the same time wants to enjoy the new environment. Sigmund Freud, the famous psychologist called this the ‘stage of Latency’. This is also the stage where children’s venture to expose their ability and expect appreciation for their efforts. If we ignore this need they develop a feeling of inferiority complex. Signs of mental distress are clearly exposed in this stage.

But what happens here…?

These are the ones who bear the burden of ethnic oppression directly on their shoulders. Ethnic oppression has crippled these growing minds and prevented them from enjoying their childhood.  Even though they are brought up in a hut they are trained to adjust to their environment and enjoy their environment. The war has forced them to displace and the mode of living is changed to bitter heights thereby turning them into misfits.

The Sri Lankan army, being unable to show their might directly to the LTTE, has chosen to bombard and massacre the innocent. The Sri Lankan government takes pride in showing the world how they protect the rights of the children. See how the government forces are cleverly performing the task planned by the government.

The result is this….

A group of children longing to go to school takes up the responsibility of bearing the family burden instead of their fathers who have been  arrested by the army and the mothers who perished by the shelling.

Another group is staggering in the street without having any inclination to schooling with no one to look after them or to guide them or to cherish them.

Yet another group though afford school exist with empty look and sigh of without the joy of children world. .

However, ethnic oppression has failed in on aspects here. Though in the grip of poverty and the means of life is meager, these are the examples to show that the curiosity of a child cannot be curbed in anyway and to prove that the learning at this stage depends more on seeing than hearing.

These are the games that the Indian army taught the children who had enjoyed playing in any kind of environment whether in the land or sea, fitting well to them. The irony here in this army vs. tiger game is that nobody is willing to play at the army side.

What lessons do these high tech toys produced by the very same countries who advocate numerous activities for the development of children and their rights, with the intention of profit earnings? They may be used to teach or show their nation’s greatness and bravery. But for us, they are very helpful to teach the children tricks to protect themselves from the enemy. Resources for making these toys may differ in palaces and huts. But creativeness of minds is the same everywhere, the hands which were used to make traps to kill squirrels before the war, are now making hand guns. Children who once insisted on buying dolls do now concentrate on guns. The magic of making a missile using an empty orex pen and a rib of a palm leaf can be seen only in this soil.

The imprints made in the minds of children are eternal, like writing on stones. Can anybody advise these children to forgive the culprit who had killed their mothers? Can we ask them to worship the one who had maimed their fathers or raped their sisters? Are you going to tell them to calm down and forget these who had forcefully occupied their land and had massacred their loved ones before their own eyes?

Carrying the scars of ethnic oppression, the architects of the future nation are immune to the present situation and became smart though suppressed again and again.

These pillars that will bear the future nation are waiting for the opportunity to avenge the enemies who have deprived them of the joys of life.

Starting from the leader of the nation to the ordinary citizen there is more a concerted effort of these nation’s assets who, shaken by the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan government are staggering on street with no one to support them.

See the wonder of this man who is considered as the demon of death to his enemy, showing humanness and showering love in abundance to these children.

 See the wonder of these hands that are ready to destroy the enemy in order to redeem the mother land, supporting the world of children. There are numerous plans here to look after these children with proper care, to give them love and affection, to educate them and to make their life happy.

To the eyes of the traitors, it may seem like a training camp for child soldiers, but for us, these are the homes of love, of charitable activities performed by the men and women to this soil to the distresses and orphans.

We will never permit these children to be ruined without care and protection. There are being taught humanity and patriotism. Present generation is going to give them not guns but the independent nation

No one needs to teach the fact that the aim of this militancy is to defend ourselves from those who try to destroy our racial and nation’s identity. Each and every one who takes arms today

-          had unfortunately lost one or more in their family, their parents & sisters.

-          had gone with an intention of saving their loved ones from the ordeal they had already experienced

-           had felt that they should achieve the independent land to make their younger generation to live with happiness.

-          had taken oath that the recapture of the land is their duty not their sacrifice.

Any body can easily find the answers for the big cry that ‘ the children are forcibly recruited and induced to become combatants’ in the speech delivered by the UN special representative for children at the  Hotel Oberoi, Colombo, when he had visited  Sri Lanka three years ago.

“ Those who have experienced violence today will be the conveyor-belt of violence to the next generation”                         Olara Ottunnu

It is difficult to understand why the International community is so concerned about children joining in armed struggle, since there are many children’s violations which have to be addressed to so seriously in the countries whether they are under armed conflict or not.

It is a well known fact that Sri Lanka has a worldwide record for child prostitution and sexual abuse of children. There is a place in Hikkaduva to train the children to become professional sex workers and at the end of the training children are issued certificate for their sexual ability. European & Asian tourists are very much attracted by these young professionals. India is well known for child labor and Japan is becoming popular in child prostitution.

It is the greatness of our Motherland to preserve herself without being caught up in the snare of mass media, which has full of news about child abuse, drug abuse, liquor, stealing, child labor and child prostitution worldwide.

It is the greatness of our people to give joy and pleasure to the children through some specific cultural outlets.

All those who care for the welfare of the children are relieved by the fact this liberation struggle has prevented the perversions that is gaining momentous all over the world entering this territory.

If it is true that man is influenced by the environment, the children are the most affected ones. There should be effective change in the environment if we feed that the behavior of a child should change. The notion that the environment in a war situation will change if only there is no ethnic oppression- is very is very difficult for the oppressors to digest. There is no doubt that the great gift which Sri Lankan oppressive government is going to donate to this soil is the legion of undaunted minds, nurtured by the atrocities of the war, and confirmed in the pursuit if the goal of freedom.