Child rights activist Dr. Thushara Wickramanayake has called for greater emphasis on children’s consent when discussing physical contact, saying the traditional concept of “good touch, bad touch” should be considered alongside a child’s right to decide whether they are comfortable with being touched.
In a social media post accompanying two photographs involving politicians and children, Dr. Wickramanayake said any physical contact with a child could be inappropriate if it takes place without the child’s consent.
She criticised the interaction shown in one of the photographs, describing it as unacceptable and saying it highlighted wider concerns over child protection in Sri Lanka.
Referring to the second photograph, Dr. Wickramanayake said it was taken when a petition carrying around 40,000 signatures was handed over to Parliament by the Stop Child Cruelty Trust.
She said Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa had asked a boy, “Is it OK to put my hands on your shoulder?” before placing his hands on the child’s shoulders.
Dr. Wickramanayake said she was surprised to hear the question and cited the interaction as an example of respecting a child’s right to consent.
She said the message that should be communicated was that, beyond categorising physical contact simply as “good touch” or “bad touch”, a child’s consent must be respected.
According to Dr. Wickramanayake, giving children the right to provide or refuse consent helps empower them and forms an important part of protecting their rights.
She said any touch could become a “bad touch” or potentially amount to a violation of a child’s rights if it takes place against the child’s wishes.
Dr. Wickramanayake also criticised the authorities for failing to implement the National Child Protection Policy and questioned the effectiveness of child protection initiatives without a proper understanding of children’s rights and their right to say “no”.
She also called for age-appropriate sexuality education to be made compulsory and urged greater awareness among adults, including politicians, on respecting children’s personal boundaries. (Newswire)