COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office

7 MARCH 2012 SRI LANKA
mainly to victims of domestic abuse. The IP stated that most rape and sexual assault
cases are reported by females aged 16 and under. He commented that relationship
issues led to many assaults due the advanced technology now available to those of that
age i.e. internet, texts, camera phones etc. He was unable to comment on cases
reported by those above the age of 16, as they have not updated their statistics.
However, reports from those above the age of 16 are comparatively lower as many
women remain reluctant to make complaints of rape or sexual assaults. The IP added
that professional counselling services are available for the victims from 08:30 -16:30
daily from Mondays to Fridays.
20.62 The same BHC letter 392 continued:
―The director of the NGO Governance of the Family Planning Association (FPA) of Sri
Lanka stated that with the war coming to and [sic] end there is more outreach in
Northern and Eastern parts of the country. She explained that during the conflict many
Tamil women in the north and east willingly became pregnant in order to avoid being
recruited to fight. Being pregnant allowed them to safeguard themselves from being a
part of the LTTE and allowed them to remain in their family units. However, many were
then separated from their parents and husbands and remained in IDP camps, some for
as long as 3 years, although most have now been re-united with their families,
neighbourhoods and society. One key community project in Mankulam, Jaffna is jointly
managed by the UNFPA and Family Planning Association.‖
See also Violence against women
21. CHILDREN
OVERVIEW
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 3 February 2012.
Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section
to 2 March 2012.
Return to contents
Users are recommended to read this section in conjunction with the preceding material
on women, in particular with regard to the position/treatment of girls by the state and
society.
21.01 Sri Lanka ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on 12 July
1991. It subsequently ratified the optional protocols to the UNCRC on the involvement
of children in armed conflict (8 September 2000) and on the sale of children, child
prostitution and child pornography (22 September 2006). (UNHCR Treaty Body
Database, Ratifications and Reservations, Status by Country, undated, website
accessed on 20 September 2010) 393
21.02 UNICEF‘s The State of the World‘s Children 2011: Adolescence – An Age of
Opportunity 394 , dated February 2011, reported that in 2009 the total population (in
thousands) under 18 was 5,850 and that under 5 was 1,784.
392 British High Commission Colombo, Letter dated 30 January 2012
393 UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Sri Lanka, Status of Ratifications,
undated http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/ratification/index.htm date accessed 20 September 2010
394 UNICEF’s The State of the World’s Children 2011: Adolescence – An Age of Opportunity
http://www.unicef.org/sowc2011/pdfs/SOWC-2011-Main-Report_EN_02092011.pdf date accessed 31
May 2011, Table 6
155