Racket bared at orphanages

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has bared a racket where underaged children at two orphanages at Kuliyapitiya were sexually abused.

The NCPA has launched an investigation into a complaint made by a 14 year old boy at an orphanage at Kuliyapitiya that he was sexually abused by a monk who ran the orphanage. Meanwhile the NCPA sources told the `Sunday Observer,' that a minor girl residing at the orphanage at Kuliyapitiya had complained the monk had sexually abused her.

The NCPA began investigating into the complaint of the juvenile boy following a court order made by the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate. Last week the NCPA sleuths produced the suspect monk before the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate's courts and he was remanded pending further investigations, sources said.

The matter came to light when Kuliyapitiya police investigated the complaint of the 14 year old boy and reported facts to courts last month.

NCPA sleuths found the suspect monk had run two separate orphanages for boys and girls at Kuliyapitiya. There were nine underaged girls at the women's orphanage and four males at the orphanage.

Following the findings of the sexual scandal, the two orphanages were closed. The four male and female juveniles were later transferred to an orphanage at Diyakadamune at Kuliyapitiya following a court order.

According to NCPA sources the monk and the matron had tortured and beaten the inmates at the orphanage.

A juvenile had told NCPA sleuths that the monk had sexually abused a 14 year old girl in the orphanage.

The girl was later traced at a private orphanage at Kurunegala and was produced before the JMO for an examination. They are awaiting a report to file action in court.