- Geetha to request authorities to install same
State Minister of Children and Women’s Affairs Geetha Kumarasinghe is to request the relevant authorities to take steps to install closed circuit television (CCTV) camera systems in schools and public transport vehicles, The Daily Morning learns.
Incidents of children being subjected to sexual abuse in schools and public transport vehicles such as trains and buses are frequently reported. The latest of such is the incident of a schoolgirl having been abused by a person inside a passenger bus in the Kurunegala area with the alleged help of the bus driver and conductor.
Commenting on the matter to The Daily Morning, Kumarasinghe said that frequent incidents of children being abused in schools and public transport vehicles are something that the Government is greatly concerned about. “I am not saying that such incidents happen in every school, but there have been many incidents of sexual abuse of children by certain teachers in schools. In addition, children and females are frequently sexually abused in public transport vehicles.”
She also said that the lack of sufficient evidence to confirm most such incidents is a serious issue and noted that it is a serious injustice to victims of such crimes that perpetrators escape the law because of insufficient evidence. “Most of the time when such incidents happen in schools and public transport vehicles, it is difficult to prove them. It is a big obstacle to the related legal proceedings. In the end, what happens is that offenders go unpunished.”
Speaking further, she said that in addition to taking action with regard to each incident, there is a need to find long-term solutions in general. “All the relevant institutions, especially the ministries that operate separately, need to be united and ensure the safety of children. In particular, I hope to make a request from the relevant authorities to install CCTV camera systems in schools and public transport vehicles. I know that certain parties will oppose this move, but schools are not places where there should be secrecy, so there is no injustice to anyone by installing cameras in them,” she explained.
Making a shocking revelation, Kumarasinghe said last week that a total of 168 females aged under 16 had reportedly been sexually abused in the country during the month of September 2023 alone.
Urging the Police Department to take strict action with regard to such incidents, she called for the highest possible punishment to be meted out to those found guilty of such crimes. She also requested all parents, school teachers, and principals to remain vigilant, to protect their children from potentially falling prey to such incidents, highlighting that children are mostly abused by close family members or someone in their own household.