– The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has instructed the relevant authorities to ensure that all ongoing investigations related to the case concerning the abuse of a girl in the Anuradhapura area are conducted strictly in accordance with court orders.

The Caucus gave these instructions during a recent meeting in the Parliamentary premises to review the progress of investigations and discuss the next steps relating to the case.Officials representing the Attorney General’s Department, the National Child Protection Authority, the Department of Probation and Child Care Services and the Sri Lanka Police attended the meeting. The Caucus also requested that forensic reports and other medical reports relevant to the case be obtained without delay. As court proceedings concerning the victimised girl are currently being conducted, not only in Anuradhapura but also in Attanagalla and Dambulla, the Caucus instructed the National Child Protection Authority to intervene in monitoring these proceedings as well.

A request was also made to take measures to minimize the repeated trauma experienced by the victimized girl as a result of her involvement in all three legal proceedings. The Attorney General’s Department expressed its agreement with a request made by the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus to appear before the Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court in order to facilitate judicial and legal processes and strengthen coordination among government institutions.

The Caucus also informed the Department of Probation and Child Care Services to continue paying close attention to matters relating to the girl’s education, health and safety.

The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus further highlighted the importance of maintaining effective coordination among law enforcement agencies dealing with child abuse cases and agreed to take the necessary interventions in this regard in the future.

Moreover, it was decided that guidelines should be developed for media reporting and judicial proceedings relating to child abuse cases in a manner that safeguards the child’s privacy, security and dignity.

A subcommittee functioning under the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus will intervene in this process. The subcommittee will also undertake future measures required to address and overcome the legal and practical challenges that arise in child abuse litigations.