National Council For Elders

(July 25, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) An opportunity has been created for claiming maintenance of the neglected parents from their children under the provisions of Parliamentary Act No. 09 of 2000 for Protection of the Rights of the Elders. In accordance with the clause 15 (1) of this Act it is deemed essential that children should under any circumstance willfully neglect their parents and also a duty is cast upon them to take care of their parents and attend to all their requirements.

The parents neglected could claim maintenances from their children monthly,
periodically or by way of a lump sum under the provisions of this Act. For this task, the National Secretariat of the Elders operating under the purview of the Ministry of Social Services and Social Welfare has set up a Mediation Board for the Elders. This Board has been appointed under the instructions of Douglas Devananda, Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare by the Judicial Service Commission.Dudley Karunaratne , retired High Court Judge and Dhanawardhana Guruge have been appointed as Chairman and member of the Board respectively.

The first Mediation Board was set up in June 2003 and by 30th May 2008 it had received 322 claims. A majority, numbering 18 were from the Western Province, of these 188 have already been settled.

As per instructions by Douglas Devananda, the National Council of the Elders has decided to expand its activities at its meeting held recently.. The Legal Aid Commission has agreed to extend its full support for this purpose. The legal Aid Commission that has set up 146 centres Island-wide has decided to provide with relief measures to the affected Elders through the legal officers assigned to these centres.

This procedure intended to be launched will help the victims to sort out their problems in the areas they live without undergoing the hassle of traveling to Colombo.

V. Jegarasasingham, Ministry Secretary, Dudley Karunaratne, Chairman, Mediation Board and retired High Court Judge, Dhanawardhana Guruge, Member of the Mediation Board, Yamuna Chithrangani, Additional Secretary, Geethamani Karunaratne, Director, National Secretariat of the Elders, and members of the National Council of the Elders took part at this discussion.
- Sri Lanka Guardian