Children at risk as Sri Lanka fighting worsens
As fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE intensifies, the lives of hundreds of children in Batticaloa are being put at risk as heavy shelling sent from the main army camp in Batticaloa town is dangerously close to school buildings.
Thursday 15 March 2007
As fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE intensifies, the lives of hundreds of school children in Batticaloa are being put at risk as heavy shelling sent from the main army camp in Batticaloa town is dangerously close to school buildings. Children exposed to this constant shelling are being traumatised and there are reports of school girls fainting after hearing the unbearable sounds of artillery fire. Any retaliation from the LTTE would place these schools in the direct firing line.
Save the Children strongly believes that these schools must be closed temporarily and children sent to the relative safety of their homes, rather than be left in the middle of an extremely vulnerable, traumatic and insecure environment.
- Phil Esmonde, Save the Children's Advocacy Director, said: "Children are bearing the brunt of this conflict and are having to face the dangers of armed fighting on a daily basis. Many thousands of children have had their lives turned upside down and are living in fear, away from their homes and schools."
Fighting has forced thousands of people to flee their homes to escape. It is estimated that the number of displaced people in Batticaloa District has risen from 88,000 to 125,000 in the last few days and it is predicted to rise further to around 214,000 within two weeks. Around 45,000 children are currently living in camps or centres for people displaced by the conflict.
As people continue to evacuate the scene of the fighting to find refuge, people living in the camps who fled previous fighting in other areas are returning home before it is safe to do so. Save the Children is deeply concerned that, in order to relieve crowding in existing camps, families are being encouraged to return to their villages where there is no functioning schools or proper medical facilities and complete mine clearance has not taken place. Reports indicate a lack of food, infrastructure and housing in most of the areas where people are returning.
"Families that have been forced to flee from fighting have the right to make a choice about when to return. Pressing people to leave the relative security of the camps and go home before it is safe puts them at high risk in a very vulnerable situation. Save the Children is calling for immediate measures to be put in place to ensure all returns are voluntary and based on clear accurate information," said Phil Esmonde.
Save the Children has set up safe play areas, registered unaccompanied children and supported ongoing education, and will be providing relief items including baby kits, hygiene kits, mosquito nets, towels, clothes, sarongs, bed sheets, sleeping mats and kitchen utensils for 10,000 children. Save the Children will continue scaling up its emergency response in Sri Lanka.
