An Open Appeal to All Parties Enforce and Protect the Law !Parties Those Who Protect the Law Do Not Trample the Powerless to Safeguard the Powerful!
On this day of 27th May 2026, We, the women of all eight districts of Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka come together to demand justice for the Anuradhapura girl child who was raped by a monk and make open appeal to all parties those who enforce law:
• Article 12 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka Democratic Socialist Republic 1978 says, all persons are equal before the law and are entitled to the equal protection of the law.
• Sri Lanka’s Penal Code (Amendment) No. 22 of 1995 made the statutory rape as a grave sexual violence. Section 363 (e ) of this Code says, if rape has taken place with or without the consent of a woman who is below 16 years of age and under Section 364 of this Code
the accused will be punished with rigorous imprisonment and subjected to pay compensation
• Sri Lanka’s Code of Criminal Procedure Act No. 15 of 1979 Stated in its First Schedule Column Five, rape is a non bailable offence
• Section 14 (1) (b) of the Bail Act No. 30 of 1970 states, Court may refuse to give bail based on the gravity of the offence and the public reaction to the alleged offence rise public unrest
The sexual offence committed against the Anuradhapura girl child trembled the entire Sri Lankan people and caused agony among them. When people are affected, they go the religious places and get shelter. For an example, during the war and ethnic violences people got shelter in Hindu temples, Churches, Buddhist temples and Mosques. The religious leaders of those places gave refuge to those peoples and protected them.During the recent “Dithwa” cyclone, the affected Sinhala and Tamil people of central hill country got refuge in Buddhist temples. The Buddhist monks of those temples day and night carefully protected the refugees without ethnic and religious differences.
It can’t be allowed any one to use religion as a shield for their self-interests and to commit crimes and cover the crimes in the name of religion. It also can’t be allowed any one to protect the criminals with narrow religious attitude. All are equal before the law. Therefore, whoever commits an offence must be punished without any bias.
Do Not Protect the Sexual Offenders on the Reasons of Social Status, Political Power, Religious
Leadership ….!
To Prioritize the Rule of Law, Give Appropriate Punishment to the Sexual Offenders
North-East Women’s Collective (NEWC)
Sri Lanka
27th May 2026
Copies:
1. Hon. Parinda Ranasinghe PC, Attorney General
2. Hon. Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara
3. Hon. Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj
4. Inspector General of Police Attorney-at-Law Priyantha Weerasuriya
5. Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission
6. National Child Protection Authority