"Sri Lankan children forced to become monks, endure abuse and manipulation in Buddhist monasteries.<br /> <br /> Below is an excerpt from a newspaper article debating the dedication of children to the temples.<br /> (Source: LankaNewspapers.com - Sri Lanka August 28, 2010)<br /> <br /> ""The system of dedicating children to the Temples and religion goes back many centuries. These children who are given away to the Temples at an early age are too young to understand the religion, politics or child abuse. The Hindu India not only banned the practice of animal sacrifice but it also banned the dedication of children at an early age to the Temples and monasteries. I think slaughtering animals in the Temples for religious purposes is cruel and primitive and so is the dedication of young children to the Temples, monasteries and religious sects. When they can`t even decide what to eat, how can they decide whether they want to become a monk or a layman. In my view this is primitive and cruel and the Buddhist Sri Lanka`s political leader must pay attention to that, and stop this sordid practice.<br /> The child monks are torn away from their poor Sinhala Buddhist parents by radical Buddhist sects to serve as foot soldiers in their attempt to foist Sinhala chauvinism upon the country. Rampant Buddhism and violent self-seeking political monks have been the bane of Sri Lankan politics.<br /> The poor Sinhala village boys, mainly to young to understand religion or politics, are being coerced into joining these Buddhist, chauvinist movements with the lure of street power, economic betterment and a secure life. The child monks with their cherubic faces and indoctrinated minds will appeal to these masses on the emotional and fanatically religious plane.<br /> Gananath Obeyesekere, an anthropology professor at Princeton University, says the campaign targets children as young as 5 years of age even though Theravada Buddhism doctrine states that a boy must be at least 15 years of age to become a monk."""
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