More sexual predators preying on female staff of  parliament to be weeded out

Several more heads to be rolled from the Parliament senior staff hierarchy for their involvement in sexually harassing female workers of the parliament’s House Keeping Department, sources said.Sources said that a probe conducted by a special investigation committee has listed out several names in a report with evidence to implicate several officials sexually abusing female staff members. The report is scheduled to be handed over to Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadheera this week.

A three-member committee headed by three female officers under the direction of the Secretary General of Parliament is investigating the incidents of sexual exploitation of female workers in parliament staff.Two assistant housekeepers have already been suspended on the allegations against them, parliament sources aid.

Sources said that findings have indicated that sexual exploitation of female staff members had been carried out with aiding and abetting of several officials. Victims have given testimonies that they had been repeatedly abused under threats and those who had been reluctant to cooperate or declined the requests by high officials had been given transfers to other departments or been avenged with demotions or holding back their due promotions.

Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena is expected to inform the House of the progress of the probe conducted by the special investigation committee.

Parliament sources said that a special work protocol has been introduced by the Secretary General to prevent sexual exploitation of female workers and she had stated recently that action would be taken against all those found guilty irrespective of their position and rank.

 SJB Matale District MP Rohini Kumari Wijeratne during the last sitting week said that certain senior officials accused of sexual abuse and harassment of female employees in the Housekeeping Department, had started to collect statements from victims denying the occurrence of any such incidents.

MP Wijeratne told Parliament that there was reason to believe that some powerful politicians backed the process of forcing the victims to issue letters retracting the allegations of sexual abuse and harassment so that they could see the end of the probe.

MP Wijeratne said: “It has been reported that some senior officials have sexually abused female employees of the Housekeeping Department of the Parliament.Meanwhile, the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus is separately inquiring into the alleged sexual abuse. Caucus member MP Wijeratne has already taken steps to obtain statements from several female housekeepers on the matter.