168 child sexual abuse cases in September – COPF

In September of the present year, 168 cases of child sexual abuse were reported, leading to 22 girls under the age of 16 becoming pregnant.

This was disclosed at the recent meeting of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF).

The COPF convened a special discussion in Parliament last week with representatives from civil organizations, including the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD). The aim was to gather ideas and suggestions on the budget proposals for the year 2024 and the formulation of policies in the country. The committee was chaired by Dr. Harsha de Silva.

During the meeting, representatives from civil organisations highlighted several areas in the budget proposals that received insufficient attention but warranted careful consideration. They drew attention to the potential problems arising from the lack of focus on women’s welfare, with a detailed discussion on the challenges faced by school girls.

In response, the COPF directed its attention to identifying the number of school girls in need of various facilities, including sanitary facilities, and proposed the establishment of a system to provide them with the necessary amenities.

The committee also learned that civil society representatives expressed the urgent need to implement a systematic programme to provide sex education for children.

Another extensive discussion in the committee centred on the necessity of formulating new policies to implement special programmes for the care of the elderly in the country. The committee chair emphasised the need to amend the existing legislation concerning mental health development to make it more suitable for the present context.

END.

Copied from Ceylon Today online: https://ceylontoday.lk/2023/11/27/168-child-sexual-abuse-cases-in-september-copf/

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