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Struggling mother-earner families vulnerable to child predators
The government said it was working to increase the security of vulnerable children in women-headed households following three atrocities in which little girls were abducted and used as sex objects, and two of them killed.
Galle Additional Magistrate at the scene where the young victim’s body was found. Pix by D.G. Sugathapala
The eight-year-old victims from Akmeemana and Kattankudy respectively experienced death at the hands of heartless rapists while four-year-old Thamara from Kurunegala escaped unhurt from a man who abducted and held her for several days.
The safety of children, especially girls, have come in question with most of the suspects, being either relatives, friends, neighbours or close associates of the parents.
At Akmeemana the victim’s body was found 800m from her home by police sniffer dogs. The little girl’s mother had been out working as a tea plucker at a nearby estate to ensure her two daughters received an education. The Kattankudy victim, a grade three student, and her elder sister had come home after school and the elder girl had left for tuition, leaving her sister in the house.
The sniffer dogs used to find the child’s body also led police to the suspect, 28-year-old Gamini Kumara Samaraweera, who is alleged to have strangled the girl after sexually assaulting her.
While leading police to the place where he had allegedly hidden a knife, rope and a pair of trousers Samaraweera had made an attempt to escape, jumping into the nearby Maha Dola canal and pushing in two police officers as well, but he drowned.
Galle Additional Magistrate Gunendra Munasighe and Karapitiya Teaching Hospital’s Judicial Medical Officer conducted initial investigation which revealed that the girl died due to strangulation. Police are awaiting the full post mortem report.
The eight-year-old victim of Kattankudy, trusted a customer of her family’s grocery shop in Manchanthoduvai but he betrayed that childish trust.
Akmeemana: The victim, her sister and their mother lived in this little shack
She offered him the protection of her umbrella on a rainy day, walking him to his house.
She was found tied up and injured at the home of the suspect, M.I. Ramlan. The little girl died on her way to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. Police said the suspect is under arrest and has been remanded until next Tuesday (September 23).
The abduction of four-year-old Thamara while she was asleep created uproar as a search across Kurunegala commenced. After three days, she was found in the Ibbagamuwa area in Kurunegala.
The search for her abductor continued with locals joining police teams and the police canine unit. With local support, the suspect, E. Gamini alias “Grease Gamini” was found at his house, 10km from the girl’s house.
Police sources said that the suspect had seen the girl and visited the house once. Initial police interrogation revealed the suspect had attempted several times to kidnap young girls and had been arrested on several previous occasions.
He told police he had planned to raise the girl and later marry her. For three days he had hidden the girl in nearby forest and had afterwards taken her to his home.
“Grease Gamini” and two others, including his mother, have been remanded until next Wednesday (September 24).
Police said medical reports have confirmed Gamini’s need for psychiatric treatment.
Director of Police Children and Women’s Bureau, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) E. Jayasuriya said the bureau had begun islandwide awareness programmes especially targeting families in which the mother leaves home daily to earn a living or or is working overseas.
Distraught:The victim’s mother
He said children from broken homes were very vulnerable and asked all parents to be cautious about the safety and security of their children.
“Parents should not allow or trust outsiders such as male friends or customers and should not encourage them to frequently visit houses in which young girls live. There are many criminals such as paedophiles and rapists in society as many uneducated people are exposed to pornography,” SSP Jayasuriya warned.
The legal system should be strengthened so that suspects do not go unpunished and are arrested without delay, he said.
“Grama niladharis will be instructed to look into suspicious persons such as rape convicts, those released from jail and military deserters,” SSP Jayasuriya said.
The Secretary to the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs, E. Illepparachchi, said the Ministry was in the process of building day-care centres in the North and East as most of the low-income women-headed households lay in those two provinces.
Plantation companies were being requested to build such centres or shelters for children, so that the mothers can work on tea estates during the day.
“The ministry plans to build more day-care buildings and instruct the local authorities to maintain them,” he said. “We have appointed early childhood officers and child right officers at each Divisional Secretariat. They will be monitoring the areas and ensure the children are safe. Plans are underway to build in other areas as well,” he said.
“In this year’s budget Rs. 700 million was allocated for infrastructure for women and children to build such shelters and care centres,” Mr. Illeyapparachchi said.
(Additional reporting by Pushpakumara Jayaratne in Kurunegala and D.G. Sugathapala in Unawatuna)