“Blue wave turns into porn wave!”

• Govt. and Opposition trade charges when sexual assault statistics are taken up in Parliament

By Ashwin Hemmathagama

Our Lobby Correspondent

Statistics released by the Government in Parliament about incidences of child rape and sexual harassment of women drew fire from Opposition ranks yesterday, with the JVP claiming that ruling party politicos were involved in cases of sexual assault. According to statistics tabled in Parliament by Minister of Water Supply and Drainage and Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardena, last year 1,741 child rape incidents, 324 rapes, 525 cases of child molestation, 28 cases of sexual harassment against women and 1,180 child abuse cases were reported. Gunawardena, who was responding to a query raised by Opposition Legislator Sunil Handunnetti of the DNA, said the highest number of child rapes – 166 in total – were reported from Kurunegala, while 31 cases reported from Kandy, 55 cases of child molestation from Anuradhapura, five cases of sexual harassment against women from Ratnapura and 143 reported cases of child abuse from Colombo had topped the list.

Handunetti said that politicians were involved in these sexual assault cases against women and children. He said it was not merely in Tangalle and that a politician in Maharagama had also been arrested for this type of criminal behaviour.

“This is the blue wave that has turned into a porn wave, which is terrorising the public and cannot be contained by law enforcement,” he asserted.