Over 5,000 child abuse complaints this year

August 31, 2023 at 11:46 AM

Over 5,000 complaints related to child abuse have been filed within the first 07 months of this year in Sri Lanka, the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) reported.

According to the Chairman of the NCPA, Senior Lecturer Udayakumara Amarasinghe, a total of 5,456 complaints have been received during the period from January 01 – July 31. 

A total of 1,296 complaints have been filed related to child cruelty, 163 complaints related to causing severe injuries, and 242 complaints related to serious sexual abuse.

The NCPA has received 110 complaints pertaining to Social media and cyberspace bullying. Out of the complaints, 76 are related to female children and 31 are connected to male children.

The NCPA further said that 196 complaints have been filed related to forcing children to beg, with the highest number of complaints being received from the Colombo District and Urban suburbs.

Senior Lecturer Udayakumara Amarasinghe added that relevant Police stations have already been informed to conduct investigations into the complaints. (NewsWire)