By Sarah Hannan As of mid-July, the number of recorded child abuse cases reached 5,242 while  sexual abuse cases of women stood at 1,642, the Police Media Division reported. During a parliamentary session held in early January, it was revealed that for the first 15 days of 2020, the number of child abuse cases had been at 54. In addition, incidents of rape had amounted to 142 and cases of serious sexual abuse to 42; these were reported from various police divisions in the country. Stop Child Cruelty Trust Chairperson Dr. Tush Wickramanayaka, speaking to The Sunday Morning, said: “Crimes against children in Sri Lanka are rising at an alarming speed, each incident more shocking than the other. The recent reports of three gruesome murders of children within a span of a week, goes to show that the country is still not taking sufficient measures to reduce such incidents. “Therefore, we, as responsible citizens of the country, must seriously debate these issues and help find progressive solutions collectively as a national emergency.” With the prolonged lockdown and curfew that was in place for a period of nearly three months, the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) had observed a spike in the number of complaints they received pertaining to cruelty and abuse towards children. Moreover, keeping schools closed too has affected children, as they are forced to be locked in the same premises as their abusers. “We are at present devising a long-term national psychosocial support programme to ensure the well-being of all children in Sri Lanka and the plan has been discussed during an inter-agency committee meeting participated by representatives of UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), World Vision, Save the Children, ChildFund, Leeds, FITIS (Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka), and Sarvodaya,” NCPA Chairman Prof. Muditha Vidanapathirana told The Sunday Morning. The programme is to roll out as two-week, three-month, and six-month programmes. In the meantime, the NCPA had also trained their psychosocial support officers from all 25 districts on how to counsel the affected families and children as well.