• Says no significant increase in cruelty to children this year
• Uptick in reported use of corporal punishment from schools

The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) will seek approval from the Cabinet of Ministers in the coming weeks to amend the Penal Code in relation to cruelty towards children, The Sunday Morning learns.

It is understood that the draft of the proposed amendment, aimed at updating outdated legislation, will be submitted to the Ministry of Justice to be listed for the consideration of the Cabinet in the coming weeks.

According to NCPA Chairman Chanaka Udayakumara Amarasinghe, following the appointment of a committee of eminent persons last year, an amendment to the existing Penal Code on child cruelty has been drafted with stakeholder consultation and will be handed over to the Ministry of Justice in the coming weeks for Cabinet approval.

Amarasinghe pointed out that the move was addressing a long-felt need for child cruelty-related legislation and was in line with recommendations made to the Government in 2018 by the United Nations.

When asked if there had been a surge in reports of violence against children, Amarasinghe said that while there was no statistical data to support an overall increase, a noticeable trend of child abuse in schools post-Covid restrictions was concerning. 

He pointed out that while reports of violence or cruelty against children to authorities, (educational, health, Police, and NCPA) did not indicate an increase, media reporting of the issue, particularly on social media, had surged.

“We have noticed an uptick in reports of corporal punishment by principals and teachers and even school prefects, since children returned to schools after the Covid-19 regulations were lifted. Unfortunately, the myth that corporal punishment helps build discipline in youth persists in our country, despite strong evidence to the contrary. We need a change in culture on how we manage and bring up our children,” Amarasinghe opined.

According to the NCPA Chair, last year (2022), 2,096 instances of child cruelty/violence were reported to authorities. Last year’s data indicates a drop in reported incidents from 2021, which stood at 2,741. It is unclear if the reduction was a result of under-reporting due to Covid-19 regulations, the economic crisis, and the sociopolitical turmoil of last year.

“However, this year, up to the end of May, we have only seen 897 reports of child cruelty,” Amarasinghe told The Sunday Morning.

This year, as of 30 May, 78 reports of grievous harm to children had been reported, Amarasinghe added.