Civil society demands punitive action to save children from ‘monsters’

‘No point in having laws if they are not implemented’ 

Colombo Municipal Councillor Sharmila Gonawala yesterday appealed to political parties not to accommodate anyone allegedly involved in crimes against children on their nomination lists.

Addressing the media at NADA Hall, Colombo, Gonawala underscored the responsibility on the government and the Opposition to take punitive measures against those responsible for crimes against children.

The appeal was made on behalf of Yukthiya Udesa Kanthawo (Women for Justice) in the wake of the exhumation of 16-year-old Ishalini’s body at Dayagama under the supervision of three-member expert panel, named by Director General of Health Services Dr Asela Gunawardena to carry out a second postmortem.

Referring to the National Child Protection Authority set up by an Act of parliament over 20 years ago, civil society activist Gonawala asked whether those who had been tasked to ensure the protection of children fulfilled their obligations.

Gonawala emphasized that in spite of adequate legal protection ensured by State mechanism, thousands of children were at risk being destroyed by maniacs. She said that the country should be ashamed of the deteriorating situation.

Recent revelations that the over 17,000 video clips/pics of sexually abused Lankan children had been posted online highlighted the crisis the country was in, Gonawala said, urging the legal fraternity not to save those responsible for such heinous crimes.

Gonawala alleged that the country lacked a proper mechanism at least to ensure the children went to school instead to affluent people’s homes as servants.

Yukthiya Udesa Kanthawo urged the government to go the whole hog to ensure protection for children as well as undergraduates. Declaring that Universities were not safe as proved over and over again, Gonawala said that the recent spate of incidents, including the death of Ishalini, who succumbed to her injuries after battling for 12 days at the National Hospital, Colombo close on the heels of a 15-year-old girl being forced to work as a sex slave, exposed the entire system.