Sex education

a must as cases of sexual abuse rise

- By D.G. Sugathapala

The issue of sexual violence in the education sector has been gathering momentum and the incidents of sexual violence have been increasing in leaps and bounds.

It has steadily moved up in the agenda of administrators, law enforcement authorities, child protection agencies and civil rights organisations.

With this in view President of the Trade Union Congress of Doctors for Civil Rights, Medical Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa stressed the need to eliminate the restrictions on sex education and to provide opportunities to gain know-how through curricular and extra-curricular education which would help to live in the wider society sans sexual violence.

Lack of knowledge

Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa pointed out that school children fall prey to sexual predators due to lack of knowledge to distinguish between romantic love and the sex urge. He pointed out that they should be equipped with standards to steer clear of sexual harassment.

"A 15 year old schoolgirl has been raped reently by her lover and two of his friends. They were arrested by Akmeemana police. The schoolgirl had fallen in love with a young man whom she met about a week before the incident. She had sneaked out from home when her grandmother was fast asleep and met her lover who took her on a bicycle to an abandoned house where he raped her. He had allowed two of his friends to do the same. "In another incident a 14 year old schoolgirl has been raped by her 50 year old English teacher. The teacher was arrested by the police and remanded. In a startling incident two elderly men of 63 and 72 years of age were arrested by Kosgoda police on May 21, for the alleged sexual abuse of a ten year old boy and his eight year old sister," He added.

Rate of sexual violence on the rise