Victimising the innocent

Tuesday, 30 April 2013 00:16 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The abuse and murder of seven-year-old Pushpakumara Wijekoon in Kegalle last week has shaken the country yet again. It is the latest in a series of incidents further confirming a horrific and fast rising crime wave sweeping the country.

Wijekoon’s murder is symptomatic of a larger problem of the complete collapse of law and order in the country, compounded by impunity for crimes committed by powerful politicians or criminals with powerful backers that has eroded public confidence in the justice system and increasingly results in the average citizen taking the law into his own hands.

Law enforcement has identified the seven year old’s murderer as being a 53-year-old former soldier. The man is also suspected of having sexually abused other children in the area.

Even at first glance, the statistics of sexual crimes perpetrated against children are appalling. Officials from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Sri Lanka estimate that as many as 4,000 child abuse cases are before the country’s 34 high courts. The average wait time for a ruling is six years based on a 2010 UNICEF analysis of backlogged cases and can go up to eight years, according to local NGOs. According to UNICEF, over 85% of reported abuse cases involving children were of a sexual nature.

Earlier this month, Chief Government Whip Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament that the highest incidence of sexual abuse had been recorded against children. According to official Government statistics revealed in the legislature, 3,859 cases of rape and sexual abuse have been reported in the country in 2012.

A total of 1,194 cases of child abuse had also been recorded in 2012 while 547 children and 29 women had been sexually harassed during the year. The number of child rapes had been the highest at 1,759 as opposed to rape of women which was recorded at 330. Rights activists warn that actual numbers of child abuse could be much higher as many cases still go unreported due to embarrassment, poor awareness or fear of reprisal.

The statistics have been available for some time. Appropriate degrees of shock have been expressed by the public and the rulers alike. What is required now, especially given Pushpakumara’s plight, is determined action against those who prey on innocents.

Crimes committed against children are heinous because they allow the vilest social elements to prey on society’s most vulnerable elements. Society led by the Government has a grave duty to protect the voiceless victims of these crimes and ensure predators are dealt with swiftly and firmly. Only resolute action will restore public confidence in the justice system and assure citizens that the Government will do everything in its power to protect the country’s children.

Strong action against perpetrators of crimes against children will deter potential predators and empower their victims to report abuse. Without stronger measures from the topmost ranks in the Government, the situation will continue to be distressingly grave for the most fragile sections of society.