A 14 year old mother struggles as a victim of incest to balance raising her newborn baby and experiencing her own childhood. She plays with her hair accessories, braiding her hair in different styles, until it’s time for her to feed her baby. This teen mother fights a constant battle to accept she is no longer just a child; she’s the mother of her own father’s child.
Victims of incest are most often unable to distinguish between expressions of affection and abuse, resulting in them not taking preventive measures. Victims themselves often refuse to believe they’ve been sexually abused until they become teen mothers.
Raped at the age of 17, a teenage mother is forced in to isolation after being shunned by
her community and disowned by her family. She was the youngest daughter in a family of five; she thought at least her siblings would support her and take care of her after she was victimized by her neighbor. She was wrong. They all disowned her and chased her out from home, calling her a disgrace, a dishonor and a burden to their family.
In Sri Lanka, it is estimated that 6.5% girls are pregnant or have given birth before their 19th birthday.
They dream of running back to school every single day; to sit in class and listen to their favourite lessons, to chat with their friends over lunch and to sing and dance during free time. They wish they could go back to their normal childhood where their biggest worry was the year end exams at school. But then, they realize their uniforms are too tight around their bellies, their swollen feet too big and painful to fit in to their school shoes.
Teen mothers often drop out from school during their pregnancy due to physical difficulties, difficulties in concentration and social stigmatization.
13 year old girl struggles to overcome her memories of violence at home. She often gets flashbacks of her father beating her mother, her brother bleeding with injuries and herself tied to a chair next to the stove. Her attempts to run away from her past, brings her nowhere close to her present or future. Her desperation and isolation not only signifies her frustration but also her attempt to find her safe haven.
Domestic violence affects both mother and child both physically and psychologically.
(This article was originally published in www.kiyanna.lk. That site is now changed to www.ivoice.lk owned by SDJF and supported by UNFPA)
iVoice Idea Competition
iVoice is an online platform that encourages youth to discuss social issues and to drive innovative solutions. The platform features stories relating to social issues in Sri Lanka, which are submitted by iVoice contributors and the general public.
The objective of the iVoice Idea Competition is to encourage youth to play a participatory role in solving social issues. After reading a story featured on iVoice, youth can submit their ‘idea’ to help to address the social issue that is highlighted in the story. The ten best ideas will receive seed capital of Rs. 100,000/- each, and mentoring, to support in implementing their ideas.
The majority of articles featured on iVoice relate to a social issue. These stories have a ‘Submit Your Idea’ button at the end of the article, inviting youth to share their innovative ideas on how to address these social issues.
Submitted ideas must be innovative and unique. The ideas must also be practical and implementable by 31 December 2017.
The deadline for submitting an idea is 3 September 2017.
To submit an idea, the following details must be provided through the online form:
Note: Participants can submit any number of ideas; however, only one idea per article is permitted.
Ideas will be evaluated through a competitive process.
03 Sept 2017: Closing of submissions at 23:59 on 3 September 2017
06 Sept 2017: Shortlisting of 20 ideas
13 Sept 2017: Shortlisted applicants to present their ideas in further detail to the judging panel
21 Sept 2017: The ten winning ideas will be announced at the Award Ceremony at which Rs. 100,000/- seed capital will be granted to each of the winning applicants
Evaluation criteria includes creativity of the proposed idea to address the given social issue, and feasibility of implementation within the stipulated budget and timeframe.
The number of votes received per idea will not be a deciding factor.
The judging panel’s decision will be final.
iVoice Idea Competition
iVoice is an online platform that encourages youth to discuss social issues and to drive innovative solutions. The platform features stories relating to social issues in Sri Lanka, which are submitted by iVoice contributors and the general public.
The objective of the iVoice Idea Competition is to encourage youth to play a participatory role in solving social issues. After reading a story featured on iVoice, youth can submit their ‘idea’ to help to address the social issue that is highlighted in the story. The ten best ideas will receive seed capital of Rs. 100,000/- each, and mentoring, to support in implementing their ideas.
The majority of articles featured on iVoice relate to a social issue. These stories have a ‘Submit Your Idea’ button at the end of the article, inviting youth to share their innovative ideas on how to address these social issues.
Submitted ideas must be innovative and unique. The ideas must also be practical and implementable by 31 December 2017.
The deadline for submitting an idea is 3 September 2017.
To submit an idea, the following details must be provided through the online form:
Note: Participants can submit any number of ideas; however, only one idea per article is permitted.
Ideas will be evaluated through a competitive process.
03 Sept 2017: Closing of submissions at 23:59 on 3 September 2017
06 Sept 2017: Shortlisting of 20 ideas
13 Sept 2017: Shortlisted applicants to present their ideas in further detail to the judging panel
21 Sept 2017: The ten winning ideas will be announced at the Award Ceremony at which Rs. 100,000/- seed capital will be granted to each of the winning applicants
Evaluation criteria includes creativity of the proposed idea to address the given social issue, and feasibility of implementation within the stipulated budget and timeframe.
The number of votes received per idea will not be a deciding factor.
The judging panel’s decision will be final.
I agree to the following:
- My story is my own work and does not contain plagiarized material or violate any copyright infringements
- My work is subjected to an editorial committee review that may add, remove, or amend my story, if necessary, to enhance its value
- The editorial committee has the right to decide whether or not my story is published
- My story can be shared or reposted on any other platform that iVoice has partnered or affiliated with at any given instance. However, my identity will be protected
- By agreeing to ‘Allow Ideas submission from iVoice community’, I allow anyone to submit an Idea or solution to my story
- Ideas submitted under my story belong solely to the individual submitting the idea and I will not be held accountable to its content.
- I have carefully read and understood the iVoice Guidelines