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Creative cards for Christmas
The Chitra Lane School for the Special Child is recognised as a special place for children with special needs, where disability is turned to ability, reliance to independence and despair to hope. The Chitra Lane School is a government approved charity founded in 1967 whose main aim is to help those with special needs to develop to their fullest potential, thus enabling them to lead independent and useful lives both at home and in society.

As a part of its public awareness and fund-raising programmes, an annual Christmas card project is conducted by the school from which all proceeds go into educating, rehabilitating and uplifting the quality of life of these children, most of whom come from extremely poor families. Each card is a reproduction of an original drawing done by a child with special needs, at the Chitra Lane School.

Over the years, the quality has improved to a point that this has become their main fund-raising project for the year. Every card they sell adds that little bit more to what the school and the resource centre can provide for these children. They also provide due recognition and encouragement to the young artists whose talents and abilities are generally overshadowed by their disability. The public could lend them a helping hand by buying a few of these cards, in the spirit of caring, sharing and most importantly in the spirit of Christmas.

Cards can be purchased at the Children's Resource Centre, 45/3, Chitra Lane, Colombo 03 or at all Keells outlets.
- Ishani


Summit on child domestic workers
The first National Children's Summit on Child Domestic Workers in Sri Lanka, organised by the Sri Lanka Interactive Media Group (SLIMG) - Colombo, was held on November 5 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. Though this was the fourth summit held by the SLIMG, it was the first to be dedicated to this part of society.

Since its inception in 1991, the functions of the SLIMG, a non-profit organisation, have been aimed at changing attitudes and behaviour of the public, by educating them through their interactive activities. Their attention is focused on the complete development of the child, while they deal with issues such as poverty, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS, child rights and environmental pollution.

A number of key issues were addressed at the summit, which was organised and chaired by child representatives themselves.

Prof. Harendra de Silva said, "The first reported case of child abuse during domestic service took place about 10 years ago, and when brought to hospital, there were about 300 marks on the child's body. The child had been burnt, whipped with a wire and even some bones were damaged." When summoned and questioned, the employer had given various contradictory statements as to where she got the child from. "But children seldom lie," he said.

Another issue dealt with was the factor of mental abuse, which these children are subjected to. A great amount of mental trauma and abuse is experienced by them in the form of discrimination, specially in comparison to the children of the employer.

Explained Prof. de Silva, "When two children of the same age are treated in such contrasting ways, there is obviously a huge impact on the one who is being discriminated. While the employer's child is treated with the utmost care, given the best food, spoken to in the kindest of ways and given the best medical treatment, the child employed for domestic service is treated in a different way. All this would have a tremendous impact on a young mind."

The next issue to be dealt with was sexual abuse.

"Not just young girls, but even boys are extremely vulnerable to this type of abuse. It takes place because they have no one to protect them and they are at the complete mercy of their employers," he said.

The Sri Lanka Interactive Media Group - Colombo, has prepared a document containing new proposals regarding child domestic workers. A copy of the document was handed over to the President on October 1, in commemoration of World Children's Day.

According to the organisation, the main culprits are the agents who bring the children from their parents and hand them over to the employers. They propose that this third party should be dealt with, in a stricter method.

Another proposal made by SLIMG - Colombo, is that domestic service should be made a profession. This would mean that it would contain all the features existent in other accepted professions. It would give individuals employed and trained in domestic service, even foreign exposure later on.

The first National Summit in Sri Lanka on Child Domestic Workers, was aimed at dealing with the effects domestic service has on the child, security of the child, the child's development and social discrimination. The basic theme of the summit was that domestic employment of children is a dream-selling practice.
- Vidushi


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