The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) received 5,523 complaints involving children during the first six months of 2026, Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj informed Parliament.
According to the figures cited by the Minister and reported by Ada Derana, the complaints included 1,100 cases of child cruelty and 60 cases of aggravated sexual abuse, along with a range of other serious offences against children.
The disclosure underscores the scale of child-protection challenges in Sri Lanka, where authorities and child-rights advocates have repeatedly warned that many cases go unreported. The NCPA operates a national child-protection hotline and works with police, the judiciary and provincial authorities to investigate complaints and support affected children.
Child-rights groups have long pointed to gaps in prevention, delayed prosecutions and a shortage of trained personnel as obstacles to effective protection. Earlier this year, concerns were raised in Parliament and by the authority itself over staffing constraints affecting the handling of cases.
The Minister’s statement is likely to renew calls for strengthened enforcement, faster case resolution and expanded awareness programmes in schools and communities. The government has said protecting children from abuse and exploitation remains a policy priority, including efforts to curb online exploitation.
Members of the public can report suspected child abuse to the NCPA’s 1929 hotline.
