The arrest of young drug traffickers highlights a crisis in education
The arrest of five major Sri Lankan criminals in Indonesia has caused a stir in the island country. While the public is calling for exemplary punishment, Sister Deepa Fernando, activist and educator, says that “these young men were not born killers.” She calls for healing society in three steps: educational reform, a culture of non-violence, and strengthening the judicial system.
Colombo (Asia News) – In Sri Lanka, the case of five young men involved in drug trafficking and other criminal activities is front page news. After their arrest in Indonesia, they were brought back to the country.
In a statement, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said that the group, led by Kehelbaddara Padme, was also implicated in murders that claimed many lives, with further destructive plans to produce ice, a slang name for methamphetamine , which has begun to gain traction in the country, especially among students.
Deemed dangerous criminals who deserve punishment, their case also raises deeper questions.
AsiaNews spoke to Sister Deepa Fernando, an activist for social justice, reconciliation, and human rights in Sri Lanka and former principal of the Holy Family schools in Kalutara and Bambalapitiya.
“I think this is the first time that security forces have been able to capture such a large group of so-called criminals and bring them back to Sri Lanka at once,” she said. Yet, “these young men were not born killers. They were once children with dreams,” she added.
“Youth involvement in violent crime often emerges from broken paths shaped by trauma, poverty, and disillusionment. Many carry scars from childhood neglect, domestic abuse, or the loss of parents, while decades of war and displacement in Sri Lanka have left families fractured,” the Sister explained.
“Dreams of education or decent work collapse under the weight of unemployment, corruption, and injustice. In such conditions, ‘crime’ can appear as the only route to money, recognition, and belonging.”
The educational system bears some responsibility. For Sister Fernanda, “Education, instead of being a pathway to healing and empowerment, often becomes another site of control and alienation.”
Indeed, “Sri Lanka's schools, much like those in many postcolonial societies, rarely address the deeper psychological and social needs of children. They reward silence, obedience, and exam success, but neglect creativity, resilience, and self-awareness.”
In the case in question, “The five young men arrested for violent crime are not just a story of failed families or failed justice; they are also a story of how schools, by neglecting the inner lives of children, fail to protect society's future.”
For the Catholic nun, who is co-convener of the Christian Women's Voice Movement, action is needed at three levels. Education is first.
“Reforms should aim to create a more liberating and equitable system where all children have equal access to quality schooling, regardless of background. This should involve breaking down divisions between ‘national’, ‘religious’, and other institutions that reproduce inequality.”
Secondly, political stability and non-violence need to be promoted. “The normalisation of violence as a tool for resolving disputes is a root cause of societal issues.”
Thirdly, “Work must be done on the justice system,” which “while intended to protect rights, has become a source of mistrust due to issues like trial by media, police malpractice, extrajudicial killings, and custodial deaths.”
Above all, “To restore public confidence, reforms must focus on due process, judicial independence, and equal justice for all, regardless of social or economic privilege.”
Finally, “Instead of looking at the crimes that have devastated the country and society and talking about them or the thugs who committed them, what should be done is to protect the future generations of the country and guide them to the right path, and thoroughly rehabilitate all the criminals who have been caught. I believe that the current government can take those steps.”
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25/05/2020 15:19
