COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office

SRI LANKA 7 MARCH 2012
21.03 Key demographic data about children in Sri Lanka can be obtained from the website of
UNICEF, Sri Lanka (undated, website accessed on 3 February 2012). In 2009 the total
population under 18 was around 5.8 million 395 . In addition basic statistical information
covering nutrition, health, HIV/AIDS, education, demographic indicators, economic
indicators, women, child protection, under five mortality rates and rates of progress at
reducing child mortality can be found in annexes to the UNICEF report, The State of the
World‘s Children 2011, dated February 2011
LEGAL RIGHTS
21.04 The age of criminal responsibility is 8 ―… with the courts having discretion to extend
[this] to 12 yrs depending on the subjective assessment of level of maturity‖ (UNICEF‘s
comments to the UN‘s Universal Periodic Review of Sri Lanka, undated, accessed 20
September 2010. 396 The voting age is 18 (CIA World Factbook, Sri Lanka 397 , updated
on 27 December 2011). The minimum age for voluntary enlistment into the armed
forces is 18 years old.
21.05 The age of consent is 16. (Avert, Worldwide age of consent 398 , undated, website
accessed on 1 June 2011). The minimum age of marriage is 18, though there is a
provision in the law on marriage that permits ―parents to consent to a marriage involving
a minor. If a parent unreasonably withholds consent, a court may authorize the
marriage. Courts have held, however, that a parent's refusal to give consent will only be
overruled if the court is satisfied that the refusal is without cause and contrary to the
interest of the minor.‖ (Helplinelaw.com, undated, website accessed on 20 September
2010) 399 However amongst Muslims, ―who continued to follow their customary religious
practices of girls attaining marrying age with the onset of puberty and men when they
were financially capable of supporting a family.‖ (US State Department July-December
2010 International Religious Freedom Report-Sri Lanka 400 , released on 13 September
2011).
21.06 The U.S. Department of Labor‘s 2010 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor 401 ,
dated September 2011, observed that:
395
UNICEF Sri Lanka, Statistics, last updated 2 March 2010
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sri_lanka_statistics.html#78 date accessed 3 February 2012
396
UNICEF, Comments to the UN’s Universal Periodic Review of Sri Lanka, undated
http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/Session2/LK/UNICEF_LKA_UPR_2008_UnitedNations
ChildrensFund_uprsubmission.pdf date accessed: 20 September 2010
397
CIA - The World Factbook – Sri Lanka
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ce.html updated on 27 December 2011
Date accessed 27 January 2012
398
Avert, Worldwide age of consent, undated http://www.avert.org/aofconsent.htm Date accessed 27
January 2010
399
Helplinelaw.com, Family laws - Sri Lanka, undated
http://www.helplinelaw.com/article/sri%20lanka/167 date accessed: 20 September 2010
400
US State Department, July-December 2010 International Religious Freedom Report-Sri Lanka,
released on 13 September 2011 http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010_5/168252.htm date accessed 27
January 2012, Section 2
401
U.S. Department of Labor’s 2010 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor , September 2011
(accessed via ecoinet) http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/90_1317902661_2011-10-03-usdol-child-labor-
2010.pdf date accessed 2 February 2012, p699-700
156 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.