By BBC South Asia –
A 13-year-old girl in Sri Lanka has identified four men including a local government politician who she says were involved in gang-raping her in the south of the country last month.
Rape and molestation are now 'the favourite pastime of mid-level politicians', critics say
It is one of a series of alleged rapes, especially of children.
Such cases have recently been reported in alarming numbers – police say 700 minors have been victims since January.
No-one has been tried, but suspects in several cases are politicians from Sri Lanka’s governing UPFA coalition.
To date, 22 suspects have been remanded in the case of the 13-year-old girl.
Newspaper reports say they include the urban councillor from the town of Tengalle, a millionaire businessman and owners or managers of several hotels.
Separately, the UPFA head of the local council in the southern town of Akuressa has been remanded for alleged abuse of a girl, 14, at a guesthouse he owns.
The Women and Media Collective (WMC) , a campaign group, has denounced the alleged crimes, saying Sri Lanka is a society where “perpetrators of heinous crimes against women and children can live with little fear of the law”.
Other recent cases include:
- A soldier accused of raping a six-year-old girl
- A worker in Colombo’s main conference centre arrested over the rape of a 15-year-old, yet swiftly bailed
- The rape and murder of a six-year-old by a male relative and two friends
- The abduction and rape of a 13-year-old girl by the son of a wealthy businessman
Senior Buddhist monk Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera told a visiting delegation of governing party MPs that he was “not satisfied with the current situation in the country” and that “deterrent punishment should be given to people found guilty of child abuse”.
Research by BBC Sinhala reveals that over the past decade, more than 100 Buddhist monks have been charged for sexual and physical assaults on minors. Very few have been convicted. About 20 Christian priests have also been investigated.
Opposition politician Sarath Fonseka said rape and molestation were now “the favourite pastime of mid-level politicians”.
Child Development and Women’s Affairs Minister Tissa Karaliyadda says he has drawn up a draft letter tightening up laws against child abuse, including possible death sentences.
gamini / July 20, 2012
It is no secret today that let it be Child Rape, Pilfering Public Funds or the break down of the Law and Order situation has worsened to a level that this country has never witnessed ever before. Is it surprising that, when this society elects a Tsunami Fund Embezzler, a Womaniser and a Murderer as the President of the Country, then pretend and praise Virtues on him in abundance to merely cover the nakedness of the equally corrupt in society who benifit from all these evils? Whom is this society trying to bluff if not themselves and appear to be surprised when incidents are reported in the media? A SOCIETY SHOULD BE GOVERNED BY THE EDUCATED ELITE AND NOT BY THE SCUM, THE RIFF RAFF AS EVIDENT FROM THE HAPPENINGS NOW.
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Shramantha Weeratunge / July 20, 2012
Rajapaksa Government offered impunity for the Child Rapists ?
Why the police officers who arrested child rapists at Nawalapitiya are suddenly transferred !?
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sathya / July 27, 2012
When Kudu Duminda raped his girlfriends minor age sister, he was arrested and remanded as he was a member of the opposition UNP. He joined the SLFP to get the President’s clemency and now everyone in Sri Lanka knows who Duminda is protected by Rajapakses.
The news based on this particular incident and its outcome started spreading all over the country the vulnerable individuals got stimulated to rape minor girls. If one studies the period before Duminda and after Duminda, it clearly indicates that the main reason for this raping-trend seem to be the example set by Duminda and the example set by Mahinda Rajapakse by releasing a worst rapist in the country. The impact of this psychology will encourage even non-criminals to become criminals. People don’t have any faith in Law and Order in the country and they will continue their brutality extensively to victimize more and more under-age girls.
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Native Vedda / July 20, 2012
Gamini says:
” A SOCIETY SHOULD BE GOVERNED BY THE EDUCATED ELITE AND NOT BY THE SCUM, THE RIFF RAFF AS EVIDENT FROM THE HAPPENINGS NOW.”
How would you define “educated elite”?
Most of the scums in the island and elsewhere appear to be educated elite anyway.
What sort of education do you have in mind which would create scum free society?
The Educated Elite scums get away with murder scot free because they are connected to rest of the Educated Elite scums in one way or another.
If the society is fundamentally debased it throws up educated elite scums in their own mirror image. Educated Elite scums represent their own people, they did not suddenly fall from sky.
When people chose to remain stupid the problem associated with scums will continue to thrive, educated elites usually exploit it to their advantage.
Education does not help one’s own humanity nor value others’.
I have problem with education.
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menaka / July 21, 2012
@native vedda, your reply only further proves Gamini’s point. you don;t seem to understand what ‘education” means, as clearly you have a problem with education. Truly educated people, have a total grasp on several points. Educated and well reared men or women, know how to conduct themselves with class at every opportunity. They, are able to research and bring up true facts while rebutting an argument and not mere nonsense. They will study a problem before attempting to address it (families able to live on 7000 Rupees?!?)Educated men, treat women and children the way they should regardless on class or culture. TRUE Education, teaches ethics, good behaviour AND social and business facts as they are in today’s world. Education is NOT simply producing a piece of paper that says you have passed an exam yet behave like a dog with no breeding. In fact dogs in heat seem to have more restraint than some of our so called leaders. RIFF RAFF is certainly running the country, the thugs, the drug dealers, the rapists and the pimps. MOST CERTAINLY NOT ANYONE EDUCATED. You call your self a native vedda, you most certainly speak like one.
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InnocientHearts / July 20, 2012
Native:
Can you please define “Educated Elite Scum” `?
As I got it – Gamani says only about Educated Elite and Scum.
Today UNDER the incumbent President- you cant find the educated ones in right positions:
Few Examples:
1. Mervin Silva as a Minister – his unique KUNUHARUPA/filthy langauge is like a cancer to the nation/ with his Butcher charator he would only be suitable to appoint work for Manningmarket
2. Duminda Silva – as a Minister – Not suitable even as hangman by Qualifications
3. Lanken Embassador to the US – No qualifications for the position – shame for SRILANKA
4. Chairman of SRILANKEN – No qualifications for the position
5. S.B Disanayaka – not at all most appropriate as the minister of Higher Education
6. Minister of Justice – NOT qualified for the POSITION – no enforcement of law and order. not even his voice is heard all these weeks or months
So the majority of them under MR guidance – are far from proved qualifations for their jobs.
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gamini / July 20, 2012
Native when I said Educated Elite, what I meant was people who have proper Educational Qualifications holding Public or Private Office coming from Decent backgrounds with unblemished records. I concede there are President’s Counsels in the system who are not suitable. When some one is introduced to me as a President’s Counsel, the first question I ask is under which President. As then I can asses whether one is suitable to hold such title. I remember once at a function, I mentioned that the society should be governed by the Cream of that society and not by the scum in society. Afterwards someone in the gathering whispered to me, ‘Gamini is not CBK and Anurudhdha the cream? Yes I had to eat my own words. It was after that I changed it to Educated Elite from the Cream. Here too there are the Synthetic products of the Educated, like the first citizen who entered Law College through the back door and was helped to be a Lawyer like father like son who sit Examinations separately. They are Synthetic Lawyers from the modern system.
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Sean Sheriff / July 21, 2012
When it comes to other things everybody shouts saying its a peaceful country but its clear that all this crime is done by the politicians and the best thing is that over and over again this very people keep contesting. But if a poor man smokes cigarette on the road the police is there to arrest him this is the law of the country no one specially the top politicians or the police has a backbone in this country.
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Nilma / September 3, 2012
In my opinion, the so-called Educated Elite also rape their own children. No matter how educated people are, they are always hungry for power, money and status. There is a little bit of good and bad in anybody. On the outside, people look like nothing’s wrong, rapes and sexual abuses are other people’s problems but when it goes right under their noses, they are the first to cover up and not admit that they have a problem. Hypocrites the lot of them – looks good on the outside but inside, it’s all a mess!
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AntiSinhalese / January 6, 2013
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