The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) recently announced the establishment of a school-level child protection committee jointly with the Ministry of Education to minimise child abuse and rape cases across the country.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (6), NCPA Chairperson Udayakumara Amarasinghe said that child abuse and rape cases had increased during the Covid-19 pandemic period. “Due to the hike in smartphone usage and of schoolchildren's access to social media, incidents of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect have increased. The closure of schools, the rising level of poverty within low-income families, and the lack of social support have made children more vulnerable. Due to the economic crisis, parents have become busy, and are suffering from mental issues. Therefore, children have become involved in sexual activities.”

Furthermore, he said that they have informed or educated over 30,000 children, including their parents, by holding programmes in schools in order to prevent these cases. “The NCPA has appointed a school child protection committee with the Ministry of Education, and we believe that holding these programmes will reduce these cases in the future.”

Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday (5), Minister of Justice, President’s Counsel Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa emphasised that there are 29,723 lawsuits before Magistrate’s Courts, of which 9,862 are child abuse and rape cases. “There are 9,862 child abuse and rape cases, of which 5,550 are child abuse cases and 4,312 are rape cases, which amount to 33% of the total number of cases,” he elaborated.