Spreading the word that relatives can be child abusers, too
Program aims to show sex abuse threats within the family
This picture symbolizing interfaith harmony was drawn by a young child abuse victim
- ucanews.com reporter, Colombo
- Sri Lanka
- June 19, 2012
A program has been launched in Sri Lanka to educate people on the prevalence and patterns of child abuse.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Child Development and Women's Affairs in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice, the program is being led by the National Child Protection Authority. A central feature of it is a national pledge to make Sri Lanka a place where children can grow up without fear of abuse. Organizers hope the pledge will attract 100,000 signatures.
"We hope to speak to the conscience of the people who sign it,” said Nada Indraswana, on behalf of the authority. “Child abusers are bound to be among them."
Last year the authority received more than 20,000 complaints of sexual abuse against children and most studies say the figure has risen steadily over the past decade. Yet awareness of the problem remains low, as it is a taboo subject in Sri Lanka’s conservative society and is rarely aired in the open.
“Everyone in the country should be made aware of the urgent need to engage in the battle against child abuse,” said Sepali Kottegoda, executive director of the Women and Media Collective.
She pointed out that, while it is well known in many parts of the world that the abusers are often close relatives or custodians of children, this particular fact is hardly known at all in Sri Lanka.
“The legislation is satisfactory,” she said. “It is the implementation of it that is problematic.”
Her argument is borne out by the case of the Venerable Pahalagama Somaratana. This 66-year-old Sri Lankan, a revered Buddhist monk based mainly in the UK, was recently found guilty there of a string of sex attacks on girls aged less than 10. He has now been stripped of his honorary titles.
But he is also responsible for a children’s home in Gampaha, Sri Lanka, and so far no move has been made to investigate it or his activities.
However, Father Nandana Manatunga, who runs a human rights center in Kandy, pointed out that things may be gradually changing.
“A judgment was handed down recently by the Kandy High Court against a perpetrator whose victim was a 13-year-old girl and a close relative,” he said. “He raped her on a Hindu festival day when she was alone in her house.”
The man was sentenced to 20 years in prison. But the unique aspect of the case was not so much the severity of the sentence but the speed at which the trial was conducted. On the judge’s insistence, it was completed in four days, while cases of this nature can often take years to go through the courts.
“We consider this a landmark judgment and we hope it gives encouragement to all those who seek justice for the children,” said Fr Manatunga.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Child Development and Women's Affairs in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice, the program is being led by the National Child Protection Authority. A central feature of it is a national pledge to make Sri Lanka a place where children can grow up without fear of abuse. Organizers hope the pledge will attract 100,000 signatures.
"We hope to speak to the conscience of the people who sign it,” said Nada Indraswana, on behalf of the authority. “Child abusers are bound to be among them."
Last year the authority received more than 20,000 complaints of sexual abuse against children and most studies say the figure has risen steadily over the past decade. Yet awareness of the problem remains low, as it is a taboo subject in Sri Lanka’s conservative society and is rarely aired in the open.
“Everyone in the country should be made aware of the urgent need to engage in the battle against child abuse,” said Sepali Kottegoda, executive director of the Women and Media Collective.
She pointed out that, while it is well known in many parts of the world that the abusers are often close relatives or custodians of children, this particular fact is hardly known at all in Sri Lanka.
“The legislation is satisfactory,” she said. “It is the implementation of it that is problematic.”
Her argument is borne out by the case of the Venerable Pahalagama Somaratana. This 66-year-old Sri Lankan, a revered Buddhist monk based mainly in the UK, was recently found guilty there of a string of sex attacks on girls aged less than 10. He has now been stripped of his honorary titles.
But he is also responsible for a children’s home in Gampaha, Sri Lanka, and so far no move has been made to investigate it or his activities.
However, Father Nandana Manatunga, who runs a human rights center in Kandy, pointed out that things may be gradually changing.
“A judgment was handed down recently by the Kandy High Court against a perpetrator whose victim was a 13-year-old girl and a close relative,” he said. “He raped her on a Hindu festival day when she was alone in her house.”
The man was sentenced to 20 years in prison. But the unique aspect of the case was not so much the severity of the sentence but the speed at which the trial was conducted. On the judge’s insistence, it was completed in four days, while cases of this nature can often take years to go through the courts.
“We consider this a landmark judgment and we hope it gives encouragement to all those who seek justice for the children,” said Fr Manatunga.
