• Protesters lit candles before a portrait of the deceased girl
• They point out that hundreds of underage children had been employed as domestic aides

By Shantha Chandrasiri 

Estate workers in Talawakelle area yesterday staged a protest against child labour and employing underage children from the upcountry estate as domestic aides.  

They compelled the authorities to take legal action against the individuals employing children as manual workers and to conduct formal investigations of the death of Ishalini Jude Kumari (16) who had been employed as a domestic aide in former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen’s residence in Colombo. 

They pointed out that hundreds of underage children from the upcountry estates had been employed as domestic aides all over the country. 

The protesters lit candles before a portrait of the deceased girl and commemorated her. 

• They pointed out that hundreds of underage children from the upcountry estates had been employed as domestic aides all over the country