Caritas Sri Lanka - SEDEC

‘Prem Nivasa’, a Children’s Home run by the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Theresa’s Sisters) came under the spotlight recently when officials of the National Child Protection Authority and Police officers visited it for inspection. Following their visit, on the night of 25th November 2011, Sr. Eliza who is in charge of the Home was taken into custody and produced overnight before a Magistrate who ordered her remanded in the Welikade jail.

This was followed by widespread media reports to the effect that the Prem Nivasa Children’s Home had violated the regulations relating to registration of inmates with the Sate authorities. These media reports were totally inaccurate and presented an extremely adverse picture about this institution. Moreover, these highly exaggerated reports contributed to devaluing the excellent humanitarian services rendered by the Sisters belonging to this Congregation for several years in Sri Lanka and all over the world.

Immediately on hearing the news, officers of the Child Rights Desk of Caritas Sri Lanka SEDEC, visited Prem Nivasa to collect all possible information about the case and on the following day they visited Sr Eliza in prison to listen to her side of the story and to get a true picture of what exactly had happened. Based on this information, the Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo issued Press Releases to place the true facts before the people of this country.

Three days later on 28th November, Sr Eliza was produced in the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. The Caritas team intervened with the Prisons officials to arrange some of the steps that had to be taken to produce her in Courts and to have her released on bail early. They were also present in Courts along many Sisters and others in order to demonstrate our solidarity to the detained nun and to her Congregation.

Once she was bailed out, Caritas SEDEC arranged for Sr Eliza to stay at another location, as advised by her lawyer.
On 1st December, she appeared in Court again and the case was postponed for 15th December 2011 as the National Child Protection Authority asked for more time to complete their investigations.

On 2nd December, Caritas officers were invited by His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo for a Press Conference called by him at Archbishop’s House. At this event, the Archbishop of Colombo was joined by a number of Priests, Sisters and Lawyers. His Eminence extolled the valuable and selfless services the Missionaries of Charity Sisters had provided to poor and marginalized people in many countries in keeping with the vision and mission of Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta, the Foundress of the Congregation.

His Eminence the Cardinal also clearly spelt out the work of Prem Nivasa which is a registered institution which accepts distressed young girls and women sent by the Courts through the Department of Childcare and Probation. Apart from that, the Archbishop pointed out, this Home is also a refuge for many other distressed young girls and women who come there under extremely vulnerable circumstances helpless situations but are accepted by the Sisters with compassion, love and care. He mentioned that he had personally asked the Sisters about the allegations leveled against them and  they had responded by saying that they had never sold a child nor given children for adoption without following due procedures laid down by State authorities. Especially, the Archbishop came out strongly against false media reports giving several groundless accusations without properly investigating or finding the truth. “ I take this opportunity to protest in the strongest terms against this type of irresponsible action”, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said. As a mark of his protest, he noted that he will not attend any State or State-institution organized functions during the forthcoming Christmas period, ‘until this matter is rectified’.
The charges against Sr Eliza were that she had accepted under-age children to her Home ( below 16 years of age) without informing the relevant authorities and that among the under-age children she had sheltered was a pregnant girl who was a rape victim.

‘Prem Nivasa’ is a Children’s Home registered under the Department of Probation and Childcare Services and the Department of Social Services.

When the case was taken up on 15th December, Sr Eliza was acquitted of all charges framed against her. In fact, it transpired that the investigations conducted by the authorities had not revealed any illegal activity at 'Prem Nivasa'.

Immediately after the case was over, Sr Eliza along with a large number of Priests, Sisters and laypersons including Catholic lawyers proceeded from the Courts directly to the nearby Bona Morte Church to participate in a thanksgiving service