The problem of street children in Sri Lanka

 THE PROBLEM OF STREET CHILDREN IN SRI LANAKA

Social problems are prevailing in every developing country. In Sri Lanka too there are several such problems. The problem of street children is one of them. Hundred of  street children can be seen in our populous cities like Colombo, Kandy and Kurunegala. Most of them are in the age group of 5-10 years. The number of street children is increasing day by day. All these children have lost their parental love and affection. There is no one to look after them. So they roam here and there in the street. The chief means of living of most of these children is begging. Some children are engage in odd jobs like pushing carts, washing plates and so on...Most of these children compel to engage in illegal and anti social activities. It has been revealed that certain affluent people employ these children in their illegal businesses such as selling drugs and illicit liquor.

These children have no permanent abode. They have no beautiful clothes to wear. They have no chance of receiving education. They have no comfortable beds to sleep. They sleep in a corner of a building or under the shade of a tree or somewhere in the street. The government has set up a separate department called "The Department of Probation and Child care" for the benefit of these children. But the government alone cannot solve this problem. The social services organizations and other voluntary organizations should extend their co-operation towards the government to solve this problem.