As per the Children Rights Ordinance, a child has been defined as a person who is less than 18 years old.  

According to the present statistics, the population of children is 30% of the total population of the country. It has been identified that certain children are compelled to engage in various professions for different reasons, becoming “street children” as a result of human trafficking, and they often beg or sell various items in public places, either with or without their parents. 

According to this programme, it is strictly prohibited to involve the children under 16 years old in street begging and trading and to involve the children between 16 and 18 years old in hazardous employment, such as housemaids, starting from 01-07-2025. 

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has decided to give its approval subsequent to the submission of the said programme by the Minister of Child and Women’s Affairs, which is planned to be implemented by the relevant ministry to strictly enforce the existing legal provisions and to raise public awareness in this regard through extensive propaganda.

The People’s Republic of China has agreed to provide the funds US$ 20 million to implement a project relevant to a project to be converted to general education digital in Sri Lanka, Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has said.

Speaking during the weekly media briefing held today (June 25), he clarified that the fund is a grant.

While the President of Sri Lanka had an official tour in China in January this year, both parties had agreed to implement this project, he said.

Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Prime Minister in her capacity as the Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Professional Education to provide all the components necessary to a smart class room for selected 500 schools under the proposed project and to establish the Network Operation Management Unit, Program Operation Room and Conference Room under the project in ‘Isurupaya’ premises.

A Cabinet sub-committee has been appointed on June 23 to study the current situation in the Middle East.

Chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism – Vijitha Herath, the ministers Wasantha Samarasinghe, Kumara Jayakody and Samantha Vidyarathna have been named as the other committee members.

Additionally, a committee of ministry secretaries have been appointed.

Meanwhile, speaking to media, Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure – Samantha Vidyarathna has said that the Government will take all possible measures to minimise the impact that the Israel-Iran conflict will have on local businesses, the country’s economy and the daily lives of all Sri Lankans.