Violence against young adults:

Liquor addicts more prone

Suraj A Bandara

A survey on the prevalence of juvenile victimization among young adults in Sri Lanka has revealed that the use of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs was significantly higher in children whose fathers used those substances compared to children whose fathers did not.

The survey was conducted by a team of post graduate students of the Peradeniya University by distributing questionnaires among the undergraduates in the Sri Lankan universities.

The report further said nearly 44 percent of males and 36 percent of females experience sexual and physical maltreatment respectively in childhood. In both categories males were affected more than females.

Physical abuse had commonly taken place at school 51 percent and home 40 percent. Witnessing violence at home was the highest form of indirect victimization recording 66 percent.

Child maltreatment, conventional crime, peer-sibling victimization, indirect victimization, introduction to substances (intoxicants) and parental deprivation were the areas that underwent in the survey.

Many children in Sri Lanka are exposed to victimization.

They seem to suffer these in the very environments that should be nurturing and protecting them, it revealed.