The abused child who left home

A 13- year- old boy without a fixed abode was handed over to a children’s home on a court order. Police told court that the boy who was the younger of two children had been abused by an elder and that his parents made a complaint to the Aturugiriya police that led to legal action against the individual concerned. However, the boy had thereafter fled home.

Police said he might have done so through pain of mind. However, his mother said he came home quite often, had his meals and left. She believed that the boy was under the curse of gods or the influence of malefic planets. However, the vice chairman of the Homagama Pradeshiya Sabha drew the attention of the Divisional Development Committee during its recent meet-

The boy’s mother said he came home quite often, had his meals and left. She believed that he was under the curse of gods or the influence of malefic planets

ing and Minister Bandula Gunawardene who chaired the meeting informed Aturugiriya police and also the Probation and Childcare Department to look into the matter.

In turn, the Aturugiriya police produced the child before the Homagama magistrate through a motion based on the previous case. Police told court that he had not attended school during the last six months, and that the parents had not paid any attention to the child who lived on his own in the village. Homagama Magistrate Ruwan Bandara Nelundeniya ordered police to produce the child before a psychiatrist through prison officials and to obtain a probationary report on him. The Homagama magistrate who ordered the handing over of the child to a children’s home at Makola postponed the case for August 22, 2012.