Eliminating GBV

Vilachchiya

 

A program was conducted at Vilachchiya, Sri Lanka about teenage pregnancies and several questions and answers were discussed.

 

There were participants from various ministries:

• Police officers

• Family health workers

• Women Developments Officer

• Gramaniladari – government officer

• Youth officer

• NGO represents

 

The participants were asked to identify the causes for violence against women.

The causes given were:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each boarder reason was discussed:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 major reasons for teenage marriages was identified:

1. Lack of safety

2. Ignorance

3. Influence of media

4. Societal influence

5. Poverty

 

Each reason was further discussed:

1. Lack of safety

   1. Mother migrations / Father migrations

   2. Illegal affairs

2. Ignorance

   1. No proper education

   2. Financial difficulties

   3. Family problems

   4. Lack of opportunities for occasional training

   5. Lack of transportation

   6. No legal tendency for prostitution

3. Influence of media

   1. Effect of tele-dramas and commercial ads

   2. Pornographic materials

   3. Experimentation of what is on the media

   4. Use of mobile phones

4. Societal influence

   1. Influence of adults

   2. Traditional concepts and beliefs

   3. Lack of parental care

   4. Illegal affairs

   5. Illegal affairs of parents

   6. Teenage pregnancy wasn’t accepted by the society

   7. Peer pressure

   8. Lack of safety

5. Poverty

   1. ​Unemployment

   2. Lack of shelter

   3. Alcoholism

 

Solutions Proposed

1. To take legal action on people selling ilicit liquor

2. Providing counseling to those who married at a younger age

3. Providing legal aid

4. Parents should pay more attention to their children

5. Parents should get their children get engaged in various productive activities

6. To provide education opportunities for children up to 18 years

7. Raising awareness for parents on parenting

8. Reproductive health education for children

9. Economic projects to improve the family income

10. Spiritual development of children

11. Parents to be more vigilant about their child’s behavior

12. To impose laws to stop mothers from migrating

13. Maintenance for single mothers

14. Improving their income levels

15. Motivating children to do higher education

16. For teenage mothers to get help from a family health worker

17. To organize alternative income facilities for mothers to stop migrating

18. Pay more attention for areas where the educational level is low