Protect women and children

Saturday, 21 July 2012 01:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The spate of murders in Kahawatta have shocked a nation and forced law enforcement authorities into action. Yet the incidents on Thursday question whether enough is being done to protect women and children from murderous attacks not just in that region but around the country.

In February, the death of a mother and daughter in Kahawatta hit headlines and brought universal condemnation on drug dealers. The political connection in that instance was supplied by the brother of the United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Pradeshiya Sabha member and his subsequent arrest brought much protest over political patronage to wrongdoers.

Scarcely two months later, two female bodies were found almost completely burnt in the Warapitiya area of Kahawatta They were identified as being sisters and the suspect who was arrested a month later was identified as their nephew. The shocking nature of such a close blood relative killing and burning his aunts again hit headlines.

On Thursday another double murder rocked the Kahawatta area when a mother and her daughter were killed and their bodies burnt. The repetition of the horrific murder prompted the Inspector General of Police to rush to the site and oversee investigations personally. Newspaper reports indicate that within the last two years, more than 10 women were murdered in this region, creating questions as to why such a high crime rate exists and whether justice has prevailed, since the killings continue unabated.

This, together with the Police insisting that on average four children are abused daily in Sri Lanka, puts the challenge of protection at a premium high. It is impossible to think of a situation where law and order fails to protect the vulnerable and gives justice to the wronged. As the numbers pile up and more incidents are unearthed, there is a growing chorus from the people to see what the political leaders will do to safeguard people.

In the typical style of chwanging pillows to fix the headache, recent statements from the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) have indicated that “higher authorities” have forbidden them from releasing latest abuse statistics. Withholding such information does not solve the problem. The people have a right to know the dangers that they face and what the authorities are doing about it. As has been evidenced by the latest Kahawatta tragedy, there is no stopping the killings by simply keeping numbers from the people.

Then there were the words of Public Relations Minister Mervyn Silva, who has gone on record with the ridiculous statement that women wearing “revealing” clothes were the root of the problem. Not only is this an uneducated, sexist and downright stupid comment to make, it also shows the completely inadequate grasp politicians have on the subject and the need to take action to minimise abuse and murders of women and children.

As crime rates increase, the case for the death sentence becomes stronger, but it must be remembered that this too can be an inefficient and top-down mechanism that will have little effect unless politicisation is minimised, the Police made independent and the judicial system strengthened. It is on these avenues that the real challenges for Sri Lanka’s leaders lie.