NCPA receives 580 sexual abuse complaints in 2024

Colombo, January 28 (Daily Mirror) - The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) received a total of 8,746 complaints regarding child protection issues in 2024, with 580 related to incidents of sexual abuse alone. 

Of these, 321 complaints were specifically about serious sexual abuse of children.

The largest number of complaints, 2,746, concerned child protection issues, while 1,950 were related to child cruelty and 229 involved child exploitation. 

The NCPA also received 42 complaints about rape and 25 regarding sexual exploitation for commercial purposes. Other notable complaints included 14 related to child marriages and 151 involving threats of releasing nude photos online.

In addition, 18 complaints were made on attempted suicide, 120 on drug addiction and 53 concerning underage pregnancies. 

The NCPA also received 39 complaints related to children lacking birth certificates.

In a bid to enhance legal support for abuse victims, the NCPA is in the process of establishing a pool of qualified lawyers to offer free legal services. 

The authority has called for applications from experienced lawyers willing to represent victims of child abuse in courts, ensuring there are no conflicts of interest.