Over 700 Children Raped

By Chrishanthi Christopher

The Police Media spokesman SP Ajith Rohana referring to the increasing incidents of rape and molestation of children in the country says that parents are to be blamed for the trend.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader Rohana said that the negligence of parents have contributed to the increase in the incidents of rape among the younger population. Last week he revealed shocking statistics on rape for the last six months which has caused fear among families with children.
According to him there have been over 900 complaints of rape received during the first half of this year. Of these complaints around 700 involve children.
“We cannot blame anybody but the parents who are responsible for the children,” he said.
“This is a domestic crime and we should be able to protect ourselves,” he added.
“In the Western province both the parents go to work leaving the child alone in the house making them vulnerable to outsiders or in other cases the parents migrate overseas leaving the child at the mercy of fathers, stepfathers and uncles who take advantage,” he said.
However in rural areas he observed that children are left alone at home because both parents go to work in the paddy fields or to the plantations.
According to Rohana most of the complaints have been received from the Western, Sabaragumuwa and Wayamba provinces he said.
SP Rohana also blames the media for ‘unnecessarily publishing incidents of rape’ in the electronic media which the children see and try to emulate.
He also blames the availability of modern technology for the prevalence of rape in the country. “Twenty five years ago we had no mobile phones or emails and we had to write letters but now it is so easy,” he says.
“Also life has become sophisticated these days and guest houses are galore in the Western Province and it is easy to find accommodation,” he added.
SP Rohana contends that the police role is to investigate once the crime is done. He says that awareness programs conducted by the National Child Protection Authority and other agencies are inadequate to reach out to the masses. “Parents and teachers should take the initiative to talk to these children and create an awareness about such incidents so that they will be wiser when and if such things occur in their lives,” he said.