The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) will be providing counselling for victims of cyber violence following reports of increased exposure to social media among teenagers.

“We see a lot of cases of cyber violence and the grooming of children as young as 10,” NCPA Director General Anoma Siriwardena told The Daily Morning on Wednesday (13). 

“Because of this, a lot of children suffer both physically and psychologically and therefore, we will be providing counselling based on the needs of the child,” she said.

Siriwardena said that the majority of children suffer from grooming by adults as well as the receiving of unsolicited pictures and requests for the same. Blackmail of children by adults is also common after receiving pictures, as well as the sexual harassment of minors by adults.

“In order to avoid this, we track down the numbers by contacting the service providers and cooperating with the law enforcement agencies,” Siriwardena said. “If the child is based in Colombo, we bring him or her to the NCPA for evaluation; yet, if the child is outstation, we direct them to one of our psychosocial officers who will assess the child and provide counselling support.”

Online violence against children has been increasing with Save the Children organisation alleging that three out of 10 children who are internet users in urban and suburban areas in the country are being victimised by online predators. Save the Children also claimed that due to poor technological infrastructure and technical skills, Sri Lanka has faced difficulties in removing content that allegedly harms children from the internet.