Sri Lanka: Navy officers rape two children aged 11 and 9
Colombo (AsiaNews) - In Sri Lanka,
two children aged 11 and 9 years are victims - in
separate incidents - of sexual
violence by a group of Navy Officers. The complaint was made yesterday
by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). Both attacks
took place in the north of the country.
According to AHRC sources however, as soon as the
news of the rapes began
circulating in the area, the parents of the victims have received threats,
and now say they live in fear.
In the case of 11 year old girl - the only one of whom
there is still news - officers
working at the naval base of Karainagar were involved. At first, the police arrested seven soldiers.
However, when the victim was called to identify them, she was unable to and they were released
on bail.
The AHRC believe the child failed to
identify her attackers because of threats received by her
family, who activists say now live in fear of their lives.
Medical examinations confirmed that the girl was raped.
A crowd of people demonstrated demanding concrete action on the part of the armed forces and the government,
to bring the perpetrators to justice. However, the authorities appear to be ignoring the case.
In an official statement, the AHRC stated, "Sri Lanka today is one of the
most backward and primitive places when looked at from the point of view of the
possibilities of justice meted out through a functioning public justice system.
Unfortunately, even an issue as important as this has not become a part of the
public discourse in Sri Lanka. To be without the assistance of a public justice
system is essentially akin to slavery. "(MMP)
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07/02/2019 17:28
19/08/2004
