Crimes against women and children of Sri Lanka
Posted on July 16th, 2013
Michelle Alexander
There is an alarming increase of crimes against women and children in Sri Lanka. It is believed that a woman is raped every 90 minutes, and 3-5 children are raped daily. It is indeed sickening to read regular articles of rapes and abuses committed by MPs, principals, teachers, officers, clergy, ordinary citizens, et al.
- One area to gain particular notoriety is Kahawatta, with 28 murders. All of the victims were women.
- Foreign women are not safe either. The most prominent case in recent times is that of Victoria Tkacheva, who was alleged to have been gang-raped while her boyfriend Khuram Shaikh was killed. The police subsequently confirmed that Victoria Tkacheva was either raped or sexually assaulted. This was more than a year ago. The main suspect is yet to face justice.
- According to statistics tabled in Parliament in April 2013, in the year 2012, 1750 case of child rape, 330 cases of rape, 5475 cases of child molestation and 1194 cases of child abuse cases were reported. Of these, 173 cases of child rape was reported from Anuradhapura, 166 cases from Kurunegala, 129 cases from Colombo, 111 cases from Gampaha and Ratnapura, 106 from Galle and 93 from Hambanthota. Anuradhapura recorded 55 cases of sexual harassment against children. 48, 41 and 40 cases of sexual harassment against children were reported from Ratnapura, Kalutara and Kurunegala respectively. 143 cases of child abuse was reported in Colombo, with 116, 99, and 67 cases of child abuse reported from Gampaha, Kurunegala and Ratnapura respectively.
- To an extent, society is to be blamed as well. Instead of helping and supporting survivors of harassment, abuse and assault, some choose to blame the survivor, or in the case of domestic violence, view it as a private family matter. Due to this shame and the fear of being ostracized, it is believed that many cases of harassment, rape and abuse go unreported. If more cases are reported, the numbers will rise higher.
- Domestic violence was at 60% in 2011. That number is said to have increased to approximately 80% in 2013. Sri Lanka is said to be 5th among countries that have a higher rate of domestic violence.
There should be more effort put into combating these crimes, from registering complaints to conducting thorough investigation to ensuring speedy trials to passing punishments suitable to the crime. Shielding perpetrators should carry its own penalty such as loss of rank/job/governmental position, etc, and/or a prison sentence. Further, crimes against women and children should be made non-baileble offences.
Religious orders, political parties, civil society and the police should put aside their differences and come together to bring an end to crimes against women and children. A country which boasts of the phrase ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-a woman could walk from Dondra to Point Pedro with a gemstone in her hand with the assurance that no harm would come to herƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ should not turn into a land of perverts, paedophiles, abusers and rapists.
July 16th, 2013 at 2:09 pm
In a country where TRAITORS get away what else do you expect?
Hang these criminals including TNA, SLMC traitors TOGETHER.
July 16th, 2013 at 2:10 pm
TNA MP Sritharan escaped after raping 200 Tamil girls and the act of treason of boasting about it in Canada.
If judges and police are ineffective SL needs a vigilante group to kill them.
July 16th, 2013 at 2:12 pm
The same TNA MP was EARLIER this year was found making pornographic films using Tamil girls.
“A small quantity of explosives and some pornographic material were found from a Political office of TNA MP Sridharan, in Kilinochchi by the military, this evening.
Military Spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya said that a person claimed to be a Coordinating Secretary of the TNA MP, was taken into custody.”
-12/01/2013 dailymirror.lk
July 17th, 2013 at 4:54 am
Problems such as those mentioned in the article above go largely unaddressed due to current problems with the 13-A & tamil Separatists. Tamil leaders of the unregistered Tamil political representation, the TNA, must know the damage they are doing to the country by continuing to defame the country abroad with foreign countries who are only really interested in Resources of Lanka which rightly belong to the People of Lanka.
Buddhist Meditation Centres (allowing anyone from any religion to join in) & Family Counselling Centres attached to govt. hospitals may mitigate these types of crimes.
However, here is an article on Rape from Causes.com :
RAPE STATISTICS WORLDWIDE
Rape South Africa
Rape is an occurrence which, according to official statistics occurred approximately 16,000 times annually during the 1980s. By 2006 the official figure for rape was over 55 000 , unofficially, based on the premise put forward by the National Institute of Crime Rehabilitation that only one in twenty rapes are reported, the figure is over 494,000 a year.
This means that on average approximately one thousand three hundred women can be expected to be raped a day in South Africa.
A study by Interpol, the international police agency, has revealed that South Africa leads the world in rapes.
A woman was raped in South Africa every 17 seconds. This did not include the number of child rape victims. It was estimated that one in every two women would be raped.
Between 28 and 30 percent of adolescents reported that their first sexual encounter was forced.
Of South African men who knew somebody who had been raped, 16 percent believed that the rape survivor had enjoyed the experience and had asked for it. According to a recent study police estimated that only one in 36 rape cases was reported and of those only 15 percent culminated in a conviction.
Rape Cases Reported South Africa – from South African Police Services :
2002 – 54 293
2003 – 52 425
2004 – 52 733
2005 – 55 114
2006 – 54 926
United States of America
Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every 2 minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
In 1995, 354,670 women were the victims of a rape or sexual assault. (NationalCrime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.)
Over the last two years, more than 787,000 women were the victim of a rape or sexual assault. (National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S.Department of Justice, 1996.)
The FBI estimates that 72 of every 100,000 females in the United States wereraped last year. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Statistics, 1996.)
SILENT VICTIMS :
One of the most startling aspects of sex crimes is how many go unreported. The most common reasons given by women for not reporting these crimes are the belief that it is a private or personal matter and the fear of reprisal from the assailant.
Approximately 28% of victims are raped by husbands or boyfriends, 35% by acquaintances, and 5% by other relatives. (Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994)
The FBI estimates that only 37% of all rapes are reported to the police. U.S. Justice Department statistics are even lower, with only 26% of all rapes or attempted rapes being reported to law enforcement officials.
In 1994-1995, only 251,560 rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement officials — less than one in every three. (National Crime Victimization Survey, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.)
An overwhelming majority of rape service agencies believe that public education about rape, and expanded counseling and advocacy services for rape victims, would be effective in increasing the willingness of victims to report rapes to the police. (Rape in America, 1992, National Victim Center with Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center.)
LIVING IN FEAR :
According to the U.S. Department of Justice: (All statistics are taken from: Violenceagainst Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994.)
One of every four rapes take place in a public area or in a parking garage.
31% of female victims reported that the offender was a stranger.
68% of rapes occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
At least 45% of rapists were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In 29% of rapes, the offender used a weapon.
In 47% of rapes, the victim sustained injuries other than rape injuries.
75% of female rape victims require medical care after the attack.
NOT JUST A FAMILY MATTER :
Family violence and abuse are among the most prevalent forms of interpersonal violence against women and young…
July 17th, 2013 at 4:59 am
I do not understand what is meant by : “Domestic violence was at 60% in 2011. That number is said to have increased to approximately 80% in 2013. Sri Lanka is said to be 5th among countries that have a higher rate of domestic violence”.
60% of what ? 80% of what ?
Can someone clarify, please ?
July 17th, 2013 at 5:42 am
Here’s an article from the ‘uncarvedblog’ on reducing crime through Meditation. Our Budddhist Temples have a vita role to play in bringing back Meditation to the public of Lanka.
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Group Meditations Reduce Crime, As Predicted
INVINCIBLE AMERICA ASSEMBLY
Communications: 1000 North Fourth Street • Fairfield, Iowa 52557
PRESS RELEASE
Fourth Anniversary of the Invincible America Assembly, July 23, 2010
Large Group Meditations Produce Dramatic Decrease
in Violent Crime, Rise in “Peacefulness,” as Predicted
Murder Rates Inexplicably at 40-Year Lows in Many U.S. Cities
“We predict that America will rise to become a true powerhouse of peace when the number of group meditation experts in Iowa rises from its current average of 1850 to the desired level of 2500, which is predicted to cause a more profound and comprehensive shift in these positive trends away from violence towards peace.”
— Dr. John Hagelin, Executive Director, International Center for Invincible Defense.
An unexpected drop in crime last year, with homicide rates in some major U.S. cities plunging to levels not seen in four decades, and a rise in “peacefulness” in the nation are among the findings of the first-ever scientific demonstration project, now entering its fifth year, documenting the long-term peace-promoting effects of large group meditations on national trends in America.
The “Invincible America Assembly” was launched on July 23, 2006, at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa.
Dr. John Hagelin, executive director of the International Center for Invincible Defense and director of the Invincible America Assembly, predicted in advance of the start of the Assembly a significant drop in violent crime nationwide, and improved U.S. relations overseas. Dr. Hagelin’s predictions have been borne out by FBI Uniform Crime Reports and by an independent analysis of U.S. domestic and foreign policy trends.
As the Washington Post reported on May 25, 2010:
“The national violent crime rate had risen in 2005 and 2006 …. But crimes of violence began going down in 2007, falling 0.7 percent that year and then an additional 1.9 percent in 2008. The trend accelerated [in 2009] with a 5.5 percent reduction in overall violent crime and a decrease of 8.1 percent in robberies, 4.2 percent in aggravated assaults and 3.1 percent in rapes.”
Reuters highlighted the dramatic and unexpected reductions in crime rates in 2009:
“Year-end statistics from the largest U.S. cities defy the predictions of many police commanders who braced for a crime wave they expected to be unleashed by the recession, rising home foreclosures and social despair.
“Last year turned out to be the safest on record in New York City, with the murder rate in the nation’s biggest metropolis plunging to its lowest level since the city began gathering comparable data in the early 1960s.
“Crime overall was down about 11 percent in New York and off 12 percent Chicago. The number of murders in Dallas fell for a second straight year in 2009 to its lowest mark since 1967.
“Los Angeles, the second-most populous U.S. city, posted its lowest crime rate in about 50 years, with violent crimes including homicide dropping nearly 11 percent from 2008 levels and property crimes down 8 percent for the same period. Homicides alone in Los Angeles dropped by 18 percent.”
Global Peace Index shows rise in U.S. “peacefulness”
At the same time, according to the “Global Peace Index” (GPI) of the Institute for Economics and Peace, the U.S. experienced the biggest year-on-year improvement in peacefulness since 2007. (The GPI is composed of 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators, which combine internal and external factors ranging from military expenditure to relations with neighboring countries and levels of violent crime.)
“It is possible that reductions in homicide rates, armed robbery, assaults, and rapes—as well as an improvement in ‘peacefulness’—might have occurred, individually, on their own. But the fact that all this good news began when we launched our Assembly in July 2006—exactly as we predicted four years ago—is well beyond chance. It is the direct result of the coherence created by the Invincible America Assembly,” Dr. Hagelin said.
Positive influence of group meditations is immediate and profound
Extensive published research shows that coherence and positivity are created in collective consciousness when a small number of people practice Transcendental Meditation and its advanced Yogic Flying technique together in a group. This rise of positivity in collective consciousness reduces negative trends, including crime and violence, and improves economic trends.
“Rigorous statistical analysis shows that the upsurge of positive trends started on the month the Assembly began—July 2006—when an initial group of 1200 experts assembled from across the U.S. and around the world to practice these technologies in a group,” said Dr. Hagelin, who added that when the number of group meditation experts rises from its current average of 1850 to the desired level of 2500, America will rise to become a true powerhouse of peace.
“Twenty-five hundred is the number required to create a far more profound and comprehensive shift in these positive trends away from violence towards peace,” Dr. Hagelin said.
The Invincible America Assembly has been funded by a grant from the Howard and Alice Settle Foundation for an Invincible America”.
July 17th, 2013 at 5:43 am
read as : vital role to play ….
July 17th, 2013 at 6:01 am
I have no stats but crimes among the underprivileged is always higher than the privileged in a community. In the island nation majority Sinhalese are poorer, less educated in English and smaller in stature. The colonial parasites are the privileged, they are rich, better educated in English and big. See crimes among the natives of the US, Canada, Australia then in Fiji, South Africa, Mauritius etc.
July 17th, 2013 at 6:43 am
Christie,
We have to leave behind some 500 yrs of foreign rule which did untold damage whilst bringing in modern Sc&Tech. For a long time, before the internet, we could not bring out the truth of matters. Now things have changed. Let’s ALL Move Forward as One Nation, together !
The majority Sinhala/Buddhists must GROW !
July 17th, 2013 at 8:32 am
@ Fran:-
What 60% means is 60% of Sri Lankan women is subject to some form of domestic violence. Sorry about that.
July 17th, 2013 at 8:50 am
LORENZO ! You are prophet. Your second comment will come to pass, very soon. There has to be a Vigilante Mafia, to deal justice as in the good old days, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. That would take the Scum Bags out.
July 17th, 2013 at 11:15 am
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for clarifying. But, I cannot agree with this 60% & 80% as guide lines for analytical purposes are too vague. “Some form of domestic violence” – what does it mean ? Verbal abuse, arguments, doing house work when the wife prefers to go out and do shopping, hitting, rape, excessive drinking, not enough money/food … the range is endless and too wide. Take what may be called verbal abuse when a man is harrassed at work or ill – the man may not mean to say such words, but in his stressed state may take it out on people at home. What does the wife do under such circumstances ? Construe it as abuse, or understand what is going on and try to help her husband ? Besides, no home is perfect as there are natural ups and downs between human beings. Attempting to better a bad situation is the key here, or keeping a good situation in that place over long periods.
Anyway, we thank you for getting the Abuse & Rape matter under Pubic scrutiny for debate & future action.
July 17th, 2013 at 12:11 pm
P.S.: May be it is better to divide ‘domestic violence’ into short term events and long term events that have gotten out of hand ? Generally, short term events are sorted out quickly – so we can even leave those out ?