
The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has requested the help of the public to identify a child who was recently being abused in a video that has been circulating widely online.
Releasing a statement the Authority has urged the public to come forward with any information relating to the video of the minor who is believed to be of around six years of age. “We urge the public to inform the nearest Police Station, the NCPA or on the 1929 hotline” President of the NCPA, Prof. Muditha Vidanapathirana said. In the video, the female child is seen being made to perform a sex act on an unidentified adult. However, no information has come to light about the child abuse perpetrators yet. Earlier this week activists and public figures including Mrs. World 2020 Caroline Jurie staged a silent protest outside the NCPA demanding that it nabs the perpetrators immediately.
The protestors claimed the suspects are being protected by politicians and accused the NCPA of inaction.
A group of activists led by Attorney at Law Achala Senevirathna also handed over a letter regarding the incident to the Presidential Secretariat and the UNICEF Sri Lanka office on February 7. According to Prof. Vidanapathirana despite the criticisms levelled at the NCPA it has now managed to unearth information about the person who released the video online.
“It is a matter of child abuse so it must be dealt with sensitivity,” he said. It was recently reported that 5,891 of child abuse cases were reported in Sri Lanka from 2012 to 2020.