Rosy appoints new Chairperson and Deputy at Child Protection Authority

Friday, 13 February 2015 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

State Minister of Children’s Affairs Rosy Senanayake has appointed a new Chairperson and Deputy at the National Child Protection Authority. Natasha Balendra has assumed duties as the Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority and Sajeeva Samaranayake as the Deputy Chairperson. Balendra is an Honours graduate from Oxford University (UK) and Harvard Law School, she has also received her Master’s in Criminology from the University of London. She is a Fellow of the New York University of Law and a recognized scholar in human rights and global justice. She was also admitted to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) as an Attorney-at-Law. She has extensive local and international experience and has held several legal and management posts in Sri Lanka and New York, she has also been a Barrister-at-Law in the UK. In her new role, Balendra will lead the development and operations of the National Child Protection Authority.

Sajeeva Samaranayake, Attorney at Law, LLB, LLM (Family Justice Studies) functioned as a State Counsel in 1994-2003 and worked as a Child Protection Specialist UNICEF Sri Lanka from 2003 to 2008. Amongst others, held the position of a Consultant on Child Protection to Ministry of Justice 2009-2014. The NCPA was established by the parliament of Sri Lanka (under Act No.50 in1998) in order to spearhead the prevention of child abuse as well as the protection and treatment of children who are victims of abuse. The organization also regularly co-ordinates and monitors action against all forms of child abuse that are prevalent across Sri Lanka.