A Criminological Study on the Nature of Sexual Abuse of Children in Rural Areas of Sri Lanka

Child sexual abuse against children has attracted much attention worldwide. The child sex industry in Sri Lanka is well-known worldwide and is closely linked to tourism, a major foreign exchange earner in the country. Most studies on child sexual abuse in this country have focused on tourist destinations. There has been a new trend of children being sexually abused in Sri Lanka, especially in rural areas. This research study examines the nature of sexual abuse against children living in rural areas of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the type of sexual abuse that occurs most frequently to children, the abuser who abuses most frequently and the place where it occurs, the relationship between the abuser and the child, the causes of abuse, and the problematic situations faced by victims due to abuse have been given special attention in this study. The main objective of the research is to study the factors that cause children to be sexually abused in rural areas. The other two main objectives are to study the socio-economic status of the families of the victims and to study the problems faced by the victims due to being abused. 60 children mentioned in the complaints reported to the National Child Protection Authority regarding child sexual abuse from rural areas of Kalutara District have been used as a sample. According to this study, 35% of the children live in a single-parent family or under another guardian, more than 60% of the parents have low education, 74% of the families are in debt and 77% of the fathers use drugs. The main reasons for children to be sexually abused are the poor interaction between children and parents, and the lack of knowledge about sex education in the entire society. According to the findings of this research, building a strong family environment is essential to controlling and preventing child sexual abuse in this country.