NCJ Number
199647
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: 2002 Pages: 97-113
Date Published
2002
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This overview of child sexual abuse in Sri Lanka and the response to it focuses on background issues, the current status of child sexual abuse, the National Child Protection Authority, and caring for the sexually abused child.
Abstract
According to Dr. Harendra de Silva, a prominent child activist and pediatrician in Sri Lanka, the medical profession and the public have not generally recognized the extent of child sexual abuse in Sri Lanka, although national police data have documented a significant number of reported child sexual abuse cases from 1994 to 1995. Still, police data on child prostitution, child pornography, and encouraging the seduction of a girl were considered "minor offenses." Thus, Sri Lanka's laws have customarily ignored the severely detrimental psychological and developmental effects of sexual abuse on children. This has made the protection of children in Sri Lanka a difficult task. The Sri Lankan government's commitment to child protection was recognized after the appointment of a Presidential Task Force on Child Protection in December 1996. This task force recommended several legal amendments that pertain to child protection; they were subsequently enacted and are now in force. One of the most important recommendations of this group was the establishment of a National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) to formulate policy and responses for child abuse and its prevention. In offering recommendations for the care of sexually abused children, this article advises that Sri Lanka must improve its coordination of services for abused children in the areas of health services, the legal sector, the police, social services, and residential care, as well as the activities of nongovernmental organizations that serve children. Because Sri Lankan culture often stigmatizes a child who has been sexually abused, the NCPA has initiated programs to raise the public's awareness of child sexual abuse, so as to increase the Nation's sensitivity toward victims and encourage the public's involvement in coordinating efforts to prevent future occurrences. 10 references