Mullaitivu teacher and students arrested over sexual assault and extortion of school girls

A protest against sexual violence in Vavuniya last year.

 

27 June 2022

At least one teacher and as many as six male students belonging to a school in Mullaitivu have been arrested on charges relating to the sexual abuse, extortion, and exploitation of underage school girls. 

The disgraced teacher served as the designated Development Officer at the school. He now stands accused of coordinating several acts of sexual violence against underage school girls. The teacher reportedly wielded his influence to encourage male students, aged 17-18, to develop intimate relationships with young school girls. The boys were able to acquire nude photos and videos of the victims, which then appear to have been shared with the teacher. 

Allegations of sexual exploitation, coercion and violence have been levied against the teacher, who is accused of leveraging the nude photos and videos, to extort sexual favours from underage victims. 

Reports indicate that as the vulnerable girls continued to be preyed upon, a number of youth in the Mullaitivu region became aware of rumors about the abuse. The concerned youth were able to verify the rumors by confiscating the phones of the teacher and the male students involved. 

A number of nude photos and videos of victims were discovered alongside videos of young girls being behaved with, in inappropriate ways. The contents of the phones confirmed their suspicions and accordingly, the youth presented their discoveries to the police. Shortly thereafter, the police launched a formal investigation and invited a few of the victims to an inquiry. 

During the inquiry, the victims underwent a medical examination. The examination affirmed that one of the young girls had been sexually abused by the teacher. 

As the inquiry progressed and the teacher’s involvement in the crimes became irrefutable, he went into hiding and was sought by police as a fugitive. Meanwhile, the six students were arrested.

The teacher and one student are now being held in custody until June 30th, to support the ongoing investigation. The remaining five students have been granted bail. The police are undertaking a series of measures to locate additional suspects.

The survivors’ lawyer contends that the bail application submitted by the disgraced teacher should be rejected, as additional evidence can only be extracted through further inquiry. The lawyer has requested that judge consider the egregious nature of the crimes in his deliberations and ensures the detainment of the accused until June 30th. 

The case is unfortunately far from an anomaly in the region, which has been ravaged by deacdes of conflict and genocide and remains highly militarised. Another teacher in Mullaitivu was recently arrested on charges relating to the sexual harassment of young girls. 

A 2014 protest against the rape of an 11 year old girl by Sri Lankan navy personnel.

The pervasiveness of sexual violence against Tamil women and girls in the North-East is an enduring reality, with few perpetrators brought to justice.