The Catholic Social Welfare Agency Caritas in SriLanka is training pre-school teachers to help the students fight against child abuse and also to identify children suffering from physical and mental abuse. According to Caritas, children of migrants are at higher risk, with many abusers being caregivers or family members. Parents are also educated on how to keep their children safe at homes as well as at school, including by teaching children about potential dangers.
As reported by ucanews.com, Geethani Fernando, a pre-school teacher from the coastal city in Negombo in Western Province said that “The main aim is to help children develop well-balanced personalities in a psychologically conducive environment.”
So far Caritas Colombo has trained nearly 100 pre-school teachers in Western Province to be vigilant in regard to child protection. According to UNICEF SriLanka, 50 percent of all sexual abuse offenses are against children are committed by a parent, caregiver or someone well known to the child.
