Public Opinion is Clear: Urgent Legislation Required to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation! Read the story

Sri Lanka

Members

Launched in 1991, Protecting Environment and Children Everywhere (PEaCE) is a non-profit organization, which is the Sri Lankan counterpart of ECPAT- a global network to end Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.

Prevention of sexual exploitation of children being its primary focus, PEaCE constantly strives to ensure that children from marginalized and vulnerable backgrounds in Sri Lanka are protected from all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation. Whilst ensuring that the Rights of the children coming from these marginalized communities are safeguarded and upheld, the organization is aiming at creating a safe environment for every child regardless of their race, religion, gender or creed.

In our efforts to build a network of a Child Rights protection community comprising State and Non State actors, PEaCE nurtures collaborations among civil society activists, government officials particularly the law enforcement officers, teachers and various other stake holders. The focal activities of PEaCE include; capacity building of public sector officials through awareness and training, legal case monitoring and counselling, lobbying and advocacy to influence the National Policy, fostering rehabilitation for abused children and research and data collection.

Maintaining close relations with the grassroots level, we consider, is essential to sustain our work and PEaCE therefore, conducts various programmes for the benefit of the community we are engaged with, from holding medical camps/ monthly medical clinics for children and their families to conducting afternoon classes for vulnerable children from identified localities in order to keep them occupied in an environment free of abuse.

ECPAT Sri Lanka / Protecting Environment and Children Everywhere (PEaCE)

Contact: Mr. Mohammed Mahuruf
Phone: +94 (0)11 281 93 97
Address: No. 39/4, Jayasinghe Road, Kirulapone, Colombo 06, Sri Lanka
Email: info@ecpat.lk
Website: https://www.ecpat.lk/

Facts

Sri Lanka is internationally renowned for the high presence of sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism since the 1980s.

Although in Sri Lanka the legal age for marriage is 18 years for girls and boys, underage children can get married with parental consent or through a court order if they are Muslims; in these cases, the law doesn’t provide any specification in terms of a minimum age.

Resources

ECPAT International
South Asia – Summary of Recommendations: Legal Interventions in South Asia

Year: 2022

Download
ECPAT International
Sri Lanka – Legal Checklist: Key Legal Interventions to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

Year: 2021

Download
ECPAT International & PEaCE/ECPAT Sri Lanka
Global Boys Initiative: Sri Lanka Report

Year: 2021

Download
ECPAT International
Sri Lanka – Country Monitoring Report

Year: 2006

Download
ECPAT International
Regional Overview: Sexual Exploitation of Children in South Asia

Year: 2018

Download
ECPAT International
Regional Overview: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in East and South-East Asia

Year: 2014

Download

Stories

News from Sri Lanka

Indicators

Age of Consent

Not Yet Assessed

Extraterritoriality & Extradition

No

Active extraterritoriality is provided for all crimes. Additionally, passive extraterritoriality is also provided for trafficking crimes. Double criminality does not apply to extraterritoriality.

Extradition only applicable in relation to a treaty except in respect of Commonwealth countries. Only some SEC-related offences are extraditable (trafficking in children for prostitution). Extradition is subject to the double criminality requirement.

SECTT Legal Checklist Sri Lanka, 2020

CSAM Definition

Not Yet Assessed

Background Check Required

No

There are no mandatory legal provisions for criminal background checks nor legislation prohibiting convicted sex offenders to hold positions involving or facilitating contact with children.

SECTT Legal Checklist Sri Lanka, 2020

National Commitments

Partial

Sri Lanka has ratified the CRC, the OPSC, the Trafficking Protocol and the ILO Convention no. 182.

Sri Lanka has also ratified the Council of Europe’s Budapest Convention.

Sri Lanka has not ratified the OPIC, the UNWTO Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics nor the Council of Europe’s Lanzarote Convention.

SECTT Legal Checklist Sri Lanka, 2020

Child Advocacy Centers

Not Yet Assessed

SEC Police Unit

Not Yet Assessed

Protection Standards Travel and Tourism

No

There are no child protection standards for the travel and tourism industry in place.

SECTT Legal Checklist Sri Lanka, 2020

Public SEC Case Data

Not Yet Assessed