HRC Clarifies Situation Of Harassed Ganemulla Schoolgirl

MARCH 29, 2018

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has stated that intervention at critical points has ensured the right to education of a school girl who was subjected to harassment due to her mother having participated in a programme to raise awareness of HIV prevention in 2017.

When the girl, who was attending a school in Ganemulla at the time, was harassed to the point she couldn’t attend school, the Commission had intervened to uphold her right to education.

However, at the beginning of this year a similar situation had arisen, prompting her guardians to seek relief at the HRC. Consequently all relevant parties had been summoned to the Commission on March 9 for an inquiry. It was then concluded that the said child was not being subjected to any form of harassment, neglect or rejection by the school, education officers, fellow students or their parents, the HRC stated in a media release signed by the Chairperson Dr Deepika Udagama.

While the guardians were advised to take the child back to school on February 12, after the March 9 inquiry a special plan of action was put in place so that the child’s identity will remain unknown.

The HRC also observed that there are various inaccurate reports and interpretations in the media about the nature of the Commission’s intervention and urged anyone interested to directly contact the Commission if accurate information is needed.

The following is the full text of the media release:

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