Special units to combat child abuse

Ministry to set up 335 Children and Women’s Units at Divisional Secretariat level:

Dharma Sri Abeyratne

The Child Development and Women’s Affairs Ministry will establish Children and Women’s Units countrywide to combat incidents of child abuse and harassment to women.

The ministry will set up 335 Children and Women’s Units at Divisional Secretariat level. The ministry will take measures against issues relating to child abuse and harassment of women. Protection and legal assistance will also be provided to victimised children and women through the units. Besides, they will play a major role in preventing children and women from being harassed, tortured and abused, Child Development and Women’s Affairs Minister Tissa Karaliyadda said.

The ministry established a National Committee on Women to protect women from being harassed. The National Committee acts under the purview of the Child Development and Women’s Affairs Ministry. The committee is responsible for making policy decisions, drafting laws and regulations and making decision concerning empowerment of women.

The National Committee on Women will pay attention to safeguard rights of women, their equal status with men in society and guide to draft the legal framework for women’s empowerment. Meanwhile, the Child Protection Authority is seeking the assistance of various segments of society such as intellectuals, artistes, social workers, teachers and others to strengthen the service of the authority. “The dignity and personal integrity of a child will fade if he is subjected to child abuse. Child abuse causes an immense damage to the mental development of the child.

Therefore, the Child Protection Authority is vigilant about child abuse and measures will be taken to eradicate this from society. The Authority says it is duty bound to bring solace to the tortured minds of abused children. Persons involved in child abuse will be brought before the law and subjected to severe punishment,” Minister Karaliyadde said.