Sexual harassment on children, women looms large

Sandasen Marasinghe, Irangika Range and Disna Mudalige

A document tabled by Chief Government Whip and Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena in Parliament yesterday said that 1,759 children and 330 women have been raped in the country last year.

More 547 children and 29 women have been sexually harassed during the same period, the minister said adding that 1,194 complaints of child abuse have been reported.

The document was tabled in response to a query raised by DNA Colombo District MP Sunil Handunetti.

It said that the number of child abuse cases reported last year stands high as oppose to the number of victimized women.

A total of 3,859 cases of rape, sexual harassment and child abuse have been reported from across the country in 2012.

A total of 1,194 cases of child abuse was also recorded during the last year. The number of child sexual harassment stood at 547.

The cases of sexual harassment on women were recorded at 29. He said 1,611 cases of child rape, 488 cases of child sexual harassment and 995 cases of child abuse have been resolved in 2012 while 247 cases of women rape and 24 cases of women sexual harassment were resolved during the same year.