The sexual abuse and exploitation of children has returned to the headlines this week with the alleged rape of a fifteen year-old girl who was returning home in a private passenger bus running from Kurunegala to Nikagolla. Our society is quick to call for justice for such victims, who are often girls. 

However, few take the effort to effect meaningful change in society to raise awareness about sexual abuse, nor take action to mitigate the issue. It seems that society’s collective concisions shift from one issue to another, with the media news cycle.

State Minister of Women and Child Affairs Geetha Kumarasinghe rarely gets things right, but she was correct yesterday, when she stated that the issue is “everybody’s problem. And society as a whole needs to be responsible.”  She also said: “most of the time, children are often abused by a close family member, someone in their own home,” which is accurate and should give those who are tasked with preventing children from being abused a clear indication where the change has to begin.

However, the Minster said that measures have already been taken to introduce new Acts relating to the protection of women and children. While legislation in Sri Lanka needs updating, a fundamental issue is that the existing legislation is not enforced. Sri Lanka needs to get its enforcement mechanisms right, and the attitudes of the enforcement officers and officials and how well such tasks are resourced has always been a problem. For example the lack of Rape Kits in hospital emergency wards, or in clinics? Shouldn’t every Emergency room in the country have it, and be staffed with doctors and nurses who are well trained in how to deal with a child or a teenager who has been traumatised by sexual abuse?

A key issue which deter victims from coming forward to report abuse and rape is that often due to lack of evidence, before court, the proceedings become a she said vs he said matter. Many victims due to fear of being ‘shamed’ rush to clean themselves post incident and only later inform an adult of what happened. The fact that medical advice and treatment should be sought immediately post incident, needs to be taught. How will we do that as a country, when we don’t even teach sex-education?

According to the State Minister, a total of 168 girls aged under 16, were reportedly abused within last month (September). The numbers, which may not be an accurate representation of the ground reality as many families and parents in Sri Lanka avoid reporting rape and sexual abuse due to misplaced notions about the “shame” it may bring on the family, or because the perpetrator or perpetrators are known to them. One of the key issues with the broader crisis of child abuse, especially sexual abuse of minors, be they boys or girls, is the low reportage of such offences and the lack of adequate data to accurately map the situation. To remedy that, the Sri Lankan society which is largely conservative, needs a reality check and should be educated on the short and long-term impact that stems from such crimes.

The public, especially educators, parents, those in the health sector and law enforcement, need to understand that it is essential to create an environment in which children would not hesitate or be reluctant to disclose incidents or practices of abuse. This may take some time and much effort, as many children across Sri Lankan society, particularly girls, are taught their worth, place in the family and various notions of “shame”. With such “common sense”, guiding teachers, parents and children, the likelihood of them reporting what is ongoing, especially from friends and family is at best remote. As such, a change in attitudes and culture is of utmost necessity.