News
More ground awareness needed to protect vulnerable children from abuse
When we entered the village of Atulugama in Bandaragama on Friday, the time was around 3.30pm. There was an air of apprehensiveness and gloom, while small children were frequently observed in the company of adults.
A week earlier, on Friday, May 27, Fathima Ayesha, a nine-year-old from Atulugama went missing in broad daylight.
A mother's grief. Pix by Indika Handuwala
The news went viral on social media while family members, villagers and police began searching for her.
Sadly, her body was found the following day in a marshland near her home.
Bandaragama Police arrested a 29-year-old man on May 30. He is a distant relative of the child’s mother.
Ayesha had left her house around 10am on Friday, May 27, to fetch some biscuits and chicken for lunch.
According to police investigations and CCTV footage, Ayesha had bought meat from a farm shop on the Atulugama main road around 10.12am and had left for home. There was no CCTV footage beyond that point. The police believe Ayesha met the suspect at 10.15am when she turned to Epitamulla Road, where her home is.
There is a marshy area of about two acres between the beginning of the Epitamulla Road and the house where Ayesha lived.
According to police, the suspect had allegedly confessed that he had asked Ayesha to pick up a bottle of water that had fallen on the ground near the marshland. When she was going to pick up the bottle, he had lain in wait and taken her into the swamp to abuse her.
But, he had failed to do so. And worried that she would tell the adults about the incident, he had dragged her into the marshland and buried her head in the mud.
Around 10.25am, just 42 metres off Epitamulla Road, inside the marshes, the suspect is believed to have killed the child and dumped her there.
Ayesha was the third child in a family of four, was a keen learner and gifted. At an early age she had been involved in household chores as much as she could.
“She enjoyed going to school and was a natural learner. She would be really disappointed if she couldn’t attend school one day,” Mumtaz Megum, Ayesha’s mother, remarked with a sigh.
The suspect has three children who used to play with Ayesha. She was a student of Al-Gazzaly Central College, Atulugama.
“According to the law of Sri Lanka, the confession of the suspect alone is not sufficient in such a crime. Scientific evidence of the crime is needed. Police have begun collecting scientific evidence. The clothes worn by the suspect and Ayesha have been sent to the Government Analyst,” ASP Rohan Olugala, director of the Crimes Division, Kalutara District, said.
Young vicitm Ayesha
The suspect had been addicted to crystal methamphetamine, or ‘ice’ and had used the drug the night before.
He had attempted to molest a woman in the same area on a previous occasion and a complaint was filed with the Bandaragama Police on February 17. However, there was a reconciliation between the two parties, according to the police.
Investigators said they noticed a change in the suspect’s behaviour. He is reported to have at times tried to assist the police in locating the child unnecessarily.
Initially, the police had identified five suspects, including the one who is in remand custody. However, further investigation led police to the prime suspect.
Bandaragama Police, SSP Samantha Wedage and ASP Upali Thalagala from the Crimes Investigation Division of Panadura, ASP Olugala and his team from the Crimes Investigation Division of Kalutara District and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) launched joint inquiries.
Four police teams were sent to search for her.
“Authorities should be more concerned about establishing a secure environment that should be in place before such a crime occurs. It is my opinion that more ground awareness should be done in the relevant sectors,” ASP Olugala said.
Every two hours, a child is sexually molested in Sri Lanka, said Dr. Tush Wickramanayake, chairperson, Stop Child Cruelty Trust. According to 2021 police statistics 1,721 children below the age of 16 years had been abused.
ASP Rohan Olugala
The National Child Protection Authority is the highest body in charge of children’s welfare.
One single mechanism is not enough to help protect children since there are different levels in the society, NCPA Chairman Udaya Kumara Amarasinghe said.
“The NCPA has drafted a five-year action plan. The importance of preventive education and public awareness cannot be overstated. In addition, the NCPA identified vulnerable groups and conducted mapping in a number of places. Children from coastal areas, children whose mothers have gone overseas for employment, youngsters whose parents are in prison, and even children with particular needs have been found to be more prone to harassment, rape, and abuse,’’ Mr. Amarasinghe said.
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