Over 1,000 Child Abuse Complaints Received in Two Months

COLOMBO (News 1st): The National Child Protection Authority states that more than a thousand complaints regarding child abuse have been received over the past two months.

Speaking to Newsfirst, Attorney-at-Law Sajeewani Abeykoon, the Director of Law Enforcement of the authority, noted that parents should take steps to protect children from domestic abuse during the school holiday season.

She further stated that National Child Protection Authority complaints usually range between 600 and 800 per month, but this June and July saw an alarming surge to over 1,000 complaints, predominantly involving child abandonment.

4,950 complaints were recorded up to July 2025, that number has increased to 5,687 this year. With school holidays underway, parents must exercise extra caution in this digital era. Many parents ask how to discipline misbehaving children; instead of physical punishment, parents should use methods that preserve the child's dignity and self-respect. 

Attorney-at-Law Sajeewani Abeykoon encouraged parents to read the book Shiksa, published by the mental health unit of the National Child Protection Authority.

Furthermore, children can reach out independently and confidentially 24 hours a day in three languages through the 1929 hotline and adviced to ensure this lifeline is used responsibly and avoid making fake complaints.