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by Padma Edirisinghe

That the breakdown of spiritual values that protect and respect the two most vulnerable groups of society ie. women and children has led to an escalation of the abuses that they are subject to need no waste of many words. Anyway this essay confines itself to some of the findings of the statistical tabulations regarding the theme kindly provided to the writer by the Children's and Women's Bureau of the Sri Lankan Police.

Few are aware that this Unit has been established as early as 1979 as a separate section under Police Commissioner Sp S. Vamadevan. Its head office is located at an unpretentious building with limited facilities at 205/1, Castle Street, Colombo 8.

The Unit today has ballooned into a vast network covering 34 divisions. The DIG (Crimes and Crime investigation) heads it and its most active artery of work in Hotline 662662 across which the public can report direct regarding any abuse of a woman or a child. Immediate action is guaranteed. The statistical unit seems to be the most regularly run unit with monthly and quarterly reports reaching the main office that are then computerized. It is these statistics that the writer found rather surprising and pathetic.

Since the 2002 composite report is not yet out, the tabulations here are aligned to the 2001 report. The breakdown of offences is very detailed as follows with regard to children. Categories are 1. Murder 2. Attempted murder 3. Attack with weapons 4. Torture 5. Miscellaneours 6. Sexual harassment 7. Kidnapping 8. Abduction 9. Rape 10. Unnatural offences 11. Carnal intercourse 12. Grave sexual abuse 13. incest. The breakdown of women's abuses manifest a less detailed nature.

The statistics throw up the surprising fact that the Anuradhapura Police division heads the list of abuse of children (ages 16-18) with a total of 39 offences. A'pura is famed for its religious sanctity and this anomalous situation according to some sources is due to the crimes committed by disbanded soldiers infiltrating into the area from the Northern peninsula with the ceasefire.

In fact a recent TV channel gave publicity to the zooming prostitution problem in A'pura where the loose women with designs on the purses of disbanded soldiers pursue their profession openly. The news item went on to blatantly declare that schoolgirls of A'pura have joined the errant group, actually a very smearing statement since majority of these girls from the rurals of this hallowed province would not dream of stooping to such depraved behaviour. But of course if economically hard up females (with an inclination for this type of behaviour) choose to deprive the soldiers of their earnings via their physical charms only the law and their own conscience can block the trend.

After all it is the oldest profession in the world and our ancient Buddhist literature of India is studded or contaminated abundantly with such characters and back they seem to have surfaced at A'Pura replete with dagobas and statues and religious edifices. Their shadows lengthen out in the translucent waters of vast tanks coming down centuries, while crime looms high.

Moneragala comes second in the list with Kalutara and Polonnaruwa divisions following. Whether Kantalai (Gangatalawa) scores zero in the list is due to a very crimeless state in the area or due to flaws in recording is a moot point.

Some say that statistics are damned lies and go on to say that no statistics are better than false statistics. But we need not be too skeptical of statistics maintained by a Police division, especially when much diligent labour seems to be invested in the work.

Even in the general chart with no age specified Anuradhapura heads the list with 132 cases while Ratnapura, Tangalle and Gampaha follow. In this chart a total of 1234 cases has been reported from the 34 divisions.

The visuals regarding the offences against children portray a different pattern. Here Nugegoda heads the list with 898 offences with Kegalle following. A'pura maintains low key perhaps due to the fact that women are the seducers there and abuses of men are not handled by the unit! Anyway that is in lighter vein and the discrepancy and its causes have actually to be analyzed.

Despite the sinister context it is a comfort to be aware that a very conscientious set of staff is active almost around the clock to act on reports of abuses meted to our two weak segments of society, children and women.

Women libbers may consider the statement that women are weak, a sacrilegious statement but no one can deny that a woman is simply helpless against a male fired with lust and that domestic violence is becoming almost rampant not only in the lower strata of society but even in the middle class and upper class.

However according to Police authorities it is the chief abuse that is unreported. Some women prefer to die rather than undergo the humiliation of admitting that the man she took in sacred wedlock has turned into her potential murderer. Of course the complaint here has to be recorded as attempted murder. But murders within families, especially those dubbed respectable, are usually hushed up and skeletons pushed into cupboards figuratively and actually. The legal net must neutrally spread over all these different segments of society if justice is to prevail.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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