Two in every five SL women subjected to sexual harassment

By Yohan Perera   

Two in every five Sri Lankan women are subjected to sexual harassment as per research findings, State Minister of Women and Child Affairs Geetha Kumarasinghe told Parliament yesterday.

The State Minister therefore called for reforms and set ups to arrest this situation.   

“There is no proper environment for the women who have been sexually harassed to lodge their complaints with the police. Everyone in the police gather around when a woman comes to a station to complain about harassments. It has been found out that at least 13 women constables are needed in every police station to ensure confidentiality,” the State Minister said.   
“A woman who was sexually harassed at the age of 15 came to meet me recently and wanted me to help to end her court case so that she can get married. This is the sorry situation with women in this country,” she added.   

The State Minister confirmed that a cabinet paper has been submitted to ban women who have children under the age of two from going abroad for employment.