Child Protection: Ministry registers children orphaned by disasters
Official procedures urged amid social media adoption offers The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs is compiling a comprehensive database to register children who lost their guardians due to recent natural disasters caused by Cyclone Ditwah, with the aim of supporting their care and identifying suitable guardians through formal channels, it is learnt.Speaking to The Daily Morning, the Ministry’s Legal Officer, Kumudu Perera, said that authorities are currently focused on data collection. “We are gathering information on how many children lost their guardians. Our aim is to register all such children under either probation homes or the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA),” she explained.
She added that the authorities would determine the necessary actions for orphaned children when the data collection process is over. “We are designing a program to ensure that all children are placed in safe homes with guardians rather than being handed over to probation centres,” she said.
Perera emphasized the Government is the rightful guardian of children who have lost their parents and urged the public to follow official procedures rather than attempting to adopt children through social media. “We advise prospective adoptive parents to wait for the formal implementation of the program and then follow the relevant legal procedures under our supervision.”
The warning comes after reports that some individuals have expressed willingness to adopt children affected by the disaster via social media platforms. The public has been urged to report related concerns through the hotline 1929.
