Court sends back survivors of sexual assault who escaped from safe house

The Welimada Megistrates Court ordered nine underage victims of sexual abuse attempting to flee from a government operated Safe House to return as he could not changed the directives given by other courts.

The girls who claimed they decided to escape due to the harrowing environment within the safe house were taken into police custody, and were produced before the Welimada Magistrates Court.

The Welimada police, with the assistance from the Nuwara Eliya police took the victims into custody on a complaint lodged by an individual who had spotted the victims in the Keppetipola area aboard a bus.

the SI of the Welimada Women and Child Protection bureau W.M. Nirosha Kumari told the Court that  the children were  between the ages of 15 – 17,and had been placed  in the safe care home by orders of the respective Magistrates Courts in their areas.

SI Kumari reported that the victims had encountered instances of harassment within the safe house. According to their statements, they faced restrictions on bathroom usage, which was limited to three times a day, limited access to water, and verbal abuse, including threats if leftovers remained from meals.

Magistrate P. Jayasekara instructed the police to conduct a thorough inquiry into the allegations and to take appropriate legal action based on the findings.

By K.R. Rajamanthri