NCPA RECEIVED OVER 47,000 CHILD ABUSE CASES

FROM 2015 TO 2019: DEFENCE SEC.

As per the Secretary for Defence Major General(retd.) Kamal Gunaratne, at least 47,177 complaints relating to child abuse had been received by the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) between 2015 to 2019.

He said in addition to those complaints, the NCPA’S hotline 1929 reportedly receives an average of 550,000 complaints annually.

Maj. Gen.(retd.) Kamal Gunaratne expressed these views speaking at a meeting jointly organized by the Defence Ministry and the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), held at the Ministry, on Monday.

“Children need to be

The need of the hour is revising penalties and punishments on child abusers as the existing laws are lax and ineffective

safeguarded from all forms of abuse and it is a must that we create a secure and safe environment for children”, he said.

The Defence Secretary said discussions were already held to form vigilant committees in schools to protect school children from drug abuse. He stressed the need of revising penalties and punishments on child abusers as the existing laws were lax and ineffective.

The Monday’s meeting summoned is aimed at establishing a Technical Committee for the implementation of a fiveyear plan of ‘Child Protection Policy -2019’, as mandated in the President’s election manifesto ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’.

The National Implementation Plan on Child protection is to be enforced and supervised under the National implementation Committee in which stakeholders including, Defence, Education, Health, Justice, Social Welfare, Labour, Tourism, Media Ministries are to work together in achieving designated implementation objectives.