New information has come to light regarding the schoolgirl who died by suicide in Kotahena recently, with her parents revealing that their child had been pushed to the decision due to being cornered and humiliated over an incident of sexual abuse at her former school in Bambalapitiya.
Speaking during a special media briefing, the mother of the child said the girl, who was to sit for the GCE Ordinary Level Examination this year, had been sexually abused by a male school teacher at her former school.
“Upon being informed that my daughter was making false claims, I took her to a doctor, who confirmed that she had been sexually molested. The doctor then informed the Police, after which the suspect was arrested and granted bail. They recorded a statement from us. But that is all we know, as we have not heard any other update. I did not look into it as I was focused on protecting my child,” she said.
The mother revealed that she had taken measures to move the child to another school in Kotahena, where she was well taken care of by the teachers.
She said, however, a recent incident at a private tuition class, where an official at the institute had openly humiliated her in front of other students, revealing details of the case, claiming she is involved in a Police case, and telling her not to attend classes, had emotionally affected her.
“My child was put in a situation where she could not go anywhere. Everyone kept questioning her about this incident. Information was spread, portraying her in a bad light. The details came out only after the incident that occurred in the private tuition institute. My daughter cried to me, saying that the institute official had humiliated her by stating false information. My child questioned why she was being penalized when she had not done anything wrong,” she said.
The mother of the deceased schoolgirl said the teacher who had been accused by her daughter had been granted bail over the incident and is continuing to teach at the girl’s former school.
She further revealed that the Police case had not been followed up, adding that the Education Ministry had also not contacted them in this regard.
Also addressing the media briefing, the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) General Secretary, Joseph Stalin, called out the Education Ministry for failing to intervene in the matter.
Joseph Stalin said that, in the event of an incident, it is mandatory for the Education Ministry to intervene and investigate, but in this instance, the ministry had failed to do so.
“The incident had occurred at a state school. There are Tamil-speaking officials. Even though complaints by children are reported at several state schools, these are not investigated. They do not do it. They wait until a child loses his/her life,” he said.
Joseph Stalin pointed out that if the authorities, including the Education Ministry, had taken timely measures and investigated incidents together with the Police, these student deaths could have been prevented.
Urging that the child and her family need justice, the CTU General Secretary called on the Education Ministry to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident and initiate legal action against those found responsible.
Joseph Stalin added that a request has also been made from the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) to conduct a probe into the matter. (Newswire)
