Over 3,370 child abuse cases reported last year – NCPA Chairman

Over 3,370 child abuse cases had been reported to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) last year, NCPA Chairman Udayakumara Amarasinghe told the Daily News yesterday.

Of the cases, 598 were on physical harassment of children under five years.

He said that fathers had physically harassed 342 children and mothers about 718 children.

School teachers and principals, too, had physically harassed 98 children last year.

The NCPA, therefore, will hold 2,000 education programmes for both parents and school authorities this year in this regard.

He said that scholars including the members of the Maha Sangha, clergy and educated people will be deployed to conduct these programmes islandwide for the parents and the school teachers.