The Ministry of Justice and National Integration and the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, with support from the European Union through UNICEF, have launched an initiative to support children who have experienced violence. 

The new model service will ensure fast, child-sensitive support to child victims of violence, from the point when the case is reported to police, helplines or others, until the child is linked with sustained care and protection mechanisms.

The model service, launched in Kandy, includes six flagship initiatives of local and national scale to introduce transformative changes in the child protection and justice system. These improvements include enhancing the 1929 Helpline, introducing integrated case management, enhancing support services for children, improving efficiency of justice processes, enhancing practices for taking evidence from children, and introducing child-friendly courts with child witness rooms. The operationalisation of the model service for child victims of violence is supported by the European Union under the Support to Justice Sector Project (JURE).

The launch is an important step towards realizing national and international policy commitments as enshrined in the National Policy Framework of Sri Lanka and as part of the commitments made by Sri Lanka at the 2024 Bogotá Conference on Ending Violence Against Children.

Such an approach to service delivery for child victims ensures that all institutions and professionals working with children reform their services to protect children’s rights, dignity and wellbeing and to ensure speedy and quality support. The model service for child victims of violence introduces a set of changes, including digital innovations, that are guided by international best practices and are responsive to the well-known issues of efficiency and quality of services for children in Sri Lanka.

One of the first digital innovations was introduced in the Kandy High Court. New child-friendly court facilities, refurbished in an age-appropriate way and equipped with modern audio-visual technology, enable children to testify from a separate room within the court premises, operationalizing the recent amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure (June 2025). This protects a child witness from direct confrontation with perpetrators, minimizing trauma.

Minister of Justice and National Integration, Harshana Nanayakkara, speaking on this milestone moment, said, “This is a turning point for Sri Lanka’s justice system. These services will ensure that children will have a voice in court without fear, protected by law, supported by technology, and treated with dignity. This is an important step towards specializing high courts for children”

“By launching this new continuum of services, we are marking the beginning of a new way of protecting child victims of violence in Sri Lanka. By taking a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach, we aim to ensure that children receive quality justice and at the same time are able to access protection and welfare services – all delivered in a child-sensitive manner,” said Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Saroja Paulraj, emphasizing the importance of putting children at the heart of reforms.

While acknowledging Sri Lanka’s progress, Carmen Moreno, EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka, highlights the role of the JURE project: “Violence against children remains a serious concern and demands immediate action.  The European Union and UNICEF partnership, through the JURE project, has been instrumental in translating the Government of Sri Lanka’s commitment to end violence against children into actions.  Today sets in motion a model of child-friendly services that will assist and support child victims of violence and bring them justice”.

Reinforcing this collective achievement, UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka, Emma Brigham said, “Today, Sri Lanka is turning its global commitments into a tangible change for children. A holistic, coordinated, and child-centered system – one that integrates both protection and justice, ensures that children are safeguarded and supported to restore their lives. We welcome this transformative approach and look forward to seeing the roll-out of such services across the country.”

Together, the Government of Sri Lanka, the European Union and UNICEF are ensuring that every child’s right to protection is fulfilled.

JURE, supported by the European Union, is jointly implemented by UNICEF and UNDP, facilitated by the Ministry of Justice. It aims to strengthen the justice system to be more accessible, efficient, and inclusive. UNICEF leads efforts to enhance child-friendly justice and child protection processes, ensuring better protection and support for children within the legal system. (Newswire)

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Opposition Leader MP Sajith Premadasa has questioned the government on the measures it intends to implement to address the spread of violence in Sri Lanka.

Addressing the Parliament today, MP Premadasa brought up the recent shooting in Athurugiriya in which businessman ‘Club Wasantha’ was killed.

The Opposition Leader pointed out that serious issues have arisen regarding the law and order in the country as violence has spread everywhere in society.

Stating that the public is in great fear in this regard, MP Premadasa stressed that it was the responsibility of the government to ensure the safety of the public.

He further questioned what is the government’s solution to ensuring the safety of citizens and what measures will be taken to suppress violence.

MP Premadasa further said that the Opposition will support the government’s efforts for the elimination of violence and securing law and order in the country. (Newswire)

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“In our society, there is a belief that domestic violence should be kept behind closed doors and not discussed openly”, says Anoja Makawita, a social worker and counsellor at Women in Need (WIN).

“Violence within families has far-reaching consequences, and it is women and girls who suffer the most”, she said. “It is not just an issue within individual households; it has an impact on entire communities.”

Makawita was part of the group that founded WIN in 1987, and the organization has worked ever since to provide survivors of gender-based violence with legal aid, counseling, and even housing support.

One in five Sri Lankan women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner according to a 2019 survey. Nearly half of the women who experienced sexual violence by a partner did not seek formal help due to shame, embarrassment, fear of being blamed or not being believed, or thinking the violence was normal or not serious enough to seek help.

UN Women’s Empowering Women in Crisis project, funded by the government of Japan, has provided relief and support to 11 women’s shelters throughout Sri Lanka, including those run by WIN.

“Helping these women reintegrate into society is however one of the most challenging aspects of our work”, Makawita said, noting that many women who escape domestic violence are unable to return to their old home or afford to rent a new one. WIN works with such women to connect with other organizations and find housing for up to six months, during which time they can seek employment. 

WIN is not the only organization in Sri Lanka devoted to helping survivors of gender-based violence. In the country’s North Central province, the Association for Women with Disabilities, or AKASA, operates as a network of self-help groups dedicated to creating opportunities and empowering women to live with dignity and independence.

The organization’s safe house in the town of Thalawa specializes in helping women and girls with disabilities who have faced abuse.

AKASA Chairperson N.G. Kamalawathie described the case of a 21-year-old woman who suffers from a disability in her spine. She identified her as Lilanthi, a pseudonym, and told how she found peace at AKASA after many years of struggle. 

After being abused by her mother’s husband and his friend as a child, Lilanthi went to the police. Authorities arrested her abusers, and then placed Lilanthi in an orphanage. She was forced to leave that facility at 18, but could not find a stable home—until she finally found AKASA.

“I am so happy to see the women in this house improving day-by-day, working towards a sense of normalcy in life, and we always support them with whatever guidance they need”, Kamalawathie said.

Another organization, the Jaffna Social Action Centre (JSAC), supports women and children in Sri Lanka’s Northern province. Run by Nadarajah Sukirtharaj, JSAC has developed a host of programming for survivors of violence. 

“When we first started JSAC, our community was largely unaware of the significance of safe houses for survivors of violence”, Sukirtharaj said. “To address this, we initiated several awareness programmes and even established women’s groups in villages to spread the word. We have seen a shift in perception since then.”

JSAC has similarly received support through the Empowering Women in Crisis project.

“I must express my deep appreciation for the invaluable support provided by UN Women”, said Sukirtharaj. Founded in 2003, JSAC now operates across eight districts in Sri Lanka.

Makawita, of WIN, echoed Sukirtharaj’s message. 

“Although we provide legal and counseling support, we often need assistance in helping these women find jobs or providing self-employment opportunities”, she said. “I want to express my deep gratitude to UN Women for their invaluable support, especially during times of economic hardship.”

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