brand logo

Child abuse cases to be heard on specific dates

06 Aug 2021

  • High Courts to formulate method to identify relevant cases
BY Dinitha Rathnayake National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) Chairman Prof. Muditha Vidanapathirana said that an agreement was reached following discussions with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to set a specific date for the hearing of child abuse cases pending in High Courts. Furthermore, he said that the Circular No. 449 of the JSC has been sent to all High Court judges on 28 June in order to give priority to cases involving children on a set date and to formulate a methodology for the purpose of identifying such cases. Prof. Vidanapathirana expressed the above remarks while speaking at a meeting of the Women Parliamentarians Caucus held in Parliament on 3 August. The Chairman also said that Cabinet approval has been granted to set up nine audio visual recording centres in each province to present the relevant evidence from remote locations without having to summon the victimised children to court. In addition, he further informed that steps will be taken to establish live remote evidence recording centres at the aforementioned locations. He further said that everything is ready for the launch of the National Database on Child Protection in collaboration with Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) in October. Caucus Chairperson and Primary Healthcare, Epidemics, and Covid-19 Disease Control State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle said that the Caucus will lead the way to initiate appropriate measures to prevent the occurrence of child abuse and to strengthen the existing laws against acts that are harmful to the safety and well-being of children, including child abuse, sexual abuse, and enslavement. Caucus Deputy Chair Rohini Kumari Wijerathna Kavirathna said that as the institution that makes laws for the protection of children, parliamentarians as well as all elders have a responsibility. She further said that the NCPA has received 55,000 inquiries during the Covid-19 period and 4,740 child abuse-related complaints within the last six months. Caucus Deputy Chair and Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research, and Innovation State Minister Seetha Arambepola said that there should be some censorship in the reporting of child abuse incidents through the media, adding that the practice of reporting child abuse in the present media context retraumatises children and their families. Thus, she emphasised that it is also essential to regulate media coverage on such situations. They emphasised the importance of preventing the media from revealing the identity of the child victim and from providing detailed information related to the ongoing legal process, in particular with regard to child abuse. The importance of the strict enforcement of the law against employing any girl or boy under the age of 18 years, the enforcement of laws on child abuse and raising awareness regarding child abuse prevention at the grassroots level, amending certain laws relating to child protection which are outdated, and proper co-ordination between all the relevant institutions was highlighted further. Also, the need to establish a separate Social Services Department to create awareness among parents on gender equality whilst raising parental awareness to prevent child abuse and to regulate the process of implementing long-term child abuse prevention programmes was also discussed.  


More News..